Enjoy. Learn. Achieve.

Careers at Sir Charles Parsons

Sir Charles Parsons School provides a bespoke, highly tailored careers and work-related learning programme for students and learners with additional needs and learning difficulties, from Year 7 through post-16 provision.

Our curriculum is structured around preparing students for their next steps towards adulthood. We recognise that all students have differing needs and that a route to employment is not necessarily relevant to all students. As such, lessons are planned and delivered to support the learning needs of all students, irrespective of their learning needs. We have high aspirations for all of our students and want to prepare them for their next stage of their life journey; whatever this might be.

In year 7

Students are introduced to the ‘World of Work’ through curriculum staff introducing professions and roles relating to their subject area. Students are introduced to behaviours for life and learning to help them to prepare and adopt the necessary skills and qualities needed in daily life.

From year 8 through to year 11

Students access a ‘Towards Independence’ curriculum which introduces them to the key skills needed for life and for other students, skills needed for work.

As well as this, students in years 9, 10 and 11 follow a ‘Skills for Life’ curriculum which focusses on specific employability qualities, such as communication, problem solving, and working with others.

Within 6th form

Students are given many opportunities to apply her skills into real-life scenarios. Students follow a curriculum that focuses on work related learning and accessing community facilities. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in the workplace with our on-site Charlie’s café. Some other students have off-site visits to places of work such as Wood Hub as well as areas that may be of significance in their future lives.

We have a qualified Careers Leader in school, Joanne Maher.

We also have both Judith Tsang and Rosie Duggan who help to support work experience, personal guidance as well as supporting the everyday meaningful encounters across the curriculum.

“Maximising Opportunities, enriching lives” is a key phrase that staff have developed in terms of supporting students to access meaningful encounters with the world around them.

Our school aligns its strategy with the Gatsby Benchmarks and DfE guidelines, offering impartial advice, guidance, and professionally qualified careers staff. We aim to equip our students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes to achieve their full potential in learning and work. It is important that students are enabled to make informed decisions about post 16 routes and the relevant pathways to support their longer-term plans.

Careers Advice and Guidance

‘We, the staff and governors, aspire to fulfil our student’s entitlement to work by creating real employment opportunities to enable all to reach their full potential.’

The school careers plan sets out how the school intends to provide a fit for purpose careers programme with the available resources which will provide our students with the knowledge, inspiration and ability to take ownership of their own career action plans which will enable them to succeed in their chosen career paths.

We have established partnerships with key stakeholders and external career providers and local businesses, we have achieved a number of successes for young people with learning difficulties and additional needs, enabling them to secure full time paid employment.