Towards Excellence in Work Related Learning Indicators of Effectiveness in Leadership and Management

Well developed Practice ( Ofsted Grade 2) Work Related Learning and work related programmes are located within the aims and mission of the school and seen by the senior staff as being a key strategy for achieving the school’s vision There is a strong commitment from the majority of staff to WRL programmes underpinned by a school-wide understanding of the strands of work related learning (Three strands) There is commitment to a continuous improvement of WRL programmes supported by evaluations of their impact on the learner There is a whole school approach to WRL working: There are clear lines of accountability for all WRL activities in the school which focus on impact on the learner Collaboration between subject departments Cross curricular approaches

Well developed Practice (Ofsted Grade 2) There is a partnership approach with local businesses which emphasises target setting and mutual benefits There is a strategy led by a senior manager to develop the commitment and loyalty of business and community partners to create sustainable projects The recruitment of business and community partners reflects the cultural, social and economic diversity of the area There is a whole school strategy for developing all staff through placements in business and the community. There is a recruitment/retention strategy which recognises the experience and skills needed to deliver effective work related learning The school makes effective use of its own premises and people to bring benefits to business and community partners The majority of staff now use the world of work as a contact, resource and environment to support their teaching

Emerging Practice (Ofsted Grade 4) There is clear and regular communication with all staff, pupils and parents about WRL programmes Roles and responsibilities of those involved in managing and delivering WRL programmes are clearly identified Use is made of good practice guidelines in developing WRL programmes The headteacher and SMT are actively involved in promoting WRL There is a policy statement for WRL which sets clear aims for WRL programmes and indicates how they fit with the overall curriculum framework There is some involvement of business and community visitors in support of learning in classrooms The school has audited prior industrial/business experience/expertise of staff and uses this effectively

Emerging Practice (Ofsted Grade 4) There is internal funding to support WRL programmes The WRL co-ordinator/team has time and resources ( accommodation, equipment, support) to carry out the role The school maps its links with business and the community to identify where WRL is delivered The school has reviewed the needs of specific groups of pupils to see whether they would benefit from WRL There is some planned provision for WRL learning in each key stage

Poor Practice (Ofsted Grade 5/6) The school views WRL as the domain of the disaffected/lower ability pupils There are a range of WRL activities which take place across the school, principally at KS4, but there is no overall entitlement. There is no overall co- ordination Work Experience is a one-off bolt-on activity and not integrated within either CEG or the broader curriculum Responsibilities for WRL are ill-defined and reside with a range of people CEG staff, Work Experience Co-ordinator, teachers of Applied GCSEs etc There is no overall line management responsibility, accountability or co- ordnation or link with senior management

Poor Practice (Ofsted Grade 5/6) Senior staff are not aware of the extent to which the world of work is used as a context, resource, support for learning Links with the business/local community are restricted to specific often one-off events/initiatives WRL programmes/activities are not planned with clear learning outcomes identified to enable impact to be evaluated (Planning is activity based rather than outcomes based