Careers Advisor:
Mandy James.
Head of Secondary Phase.
Email – a7017@taw.org.uk
Telephone – 01952 387108
About our Careers Service
The Bridge School employ the Future Focus Service to support our pupils. Future Focus provide impartial information, advice and guidance on future education and career placement. They work one to one or with small groups to support with learning and career planning in education and the world of work.
All teachers across the secondary phase play a vital role for pupils within the support of careers, personal development, the next phase of education and work related learning.
The curriculum is designed in such as a way as to ensure that enterprise and careers is reflected within a variety of subjects. This in turn enables pupils to experience, develop and build on functional skills that are relevant within the world of work.
At KS4 there are strong business links within the curriculum, in Food Technology and Horticulture lessons, which provide pupils with work related learning. Pupils run small businesses related to these curriculum areas in the form of ‘Munchies’ and ‘Greenfinger’. For some this will include a work placement.
There is a small Sixth Form provision in school for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties with complex health and physical needs.
The whole phase weekly Business and Enterprise project also provides pupils with opportunities to find out about the world of work and to take part in work related learning within the project focus. For some of our pupils this may be through a sensory curriculum. Pupils are supported to develop and use a variety of skills that will help them to engage meaningfully and intentionally with the world of work. This includes visits into school from a variety of industries. Lessons aim to provide pupils with experience of the world of work in general and particularly those jobs that pupils will not necessarily do themselves but may come into contact with during the course of their lives.
The Bridge School has commissioned Future Focus to work with our pupils on a weekly basis. Our personal advisor is Karen who supports the pupils and their parents/carers in a range of ways.
Careers Curriculum
Please see Secondary Curriculum Section for more information.
Work Experience
Please see Secondary Curriculum Link for information on Work Experience within the curriculum.
Careers Impact
Our careers programme helps pupils experience, develop, identify and add to their independence skills and personal development throughout their time in school. It also contributes to the school’s vision and values in helping pupils acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence which enable them to lead as full, interesting and independent lives as possible. The programme also aims to provide a wide range of personalised learning experiences, which are both exciting and challenging.
The careers programme is assessed for quality and positive impact in the following ways:
Next review date January 2024
Post School Options
There are lots of things to think about when our pupils leave The Bridge. To help our pupils choose what they want to do next - teachers and Future Focus both play a valuable role alongside our pupils and parents. From Year 9 onwards Future Focus meet with parents and pupils to discuss options for the future. Impartial advice is provided by Future Focus along the journey from Year 9 to Year 14.
There is a small provision in school for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties with complex health and physical needs for Year 12 to 14. Future Focus provide advice and support for parents to link with adult services and pathway planning for the future. Karen from Future Focus will meet with teachers, parents and pupils to produce a transition plan which supports pupils and parents in the next step of education or the move into adult services. She will support with and arrange visits to potential new settings for parents and pupils.
The Bridge has a robust transition process in place to support our pupils in attending their chosen new setting throughout Year 11 and Year 14. Transition visits take place throughout all three terms of the final school year. Once the new setting has been identified, staff from the new setting come into school to get to know the pupils and work alongside them to ensure that the transition process can be as smooth as possible.
The Bridge School works flexibly around the individual needs of the pupils during any transition process.