Work Experience
The Meadows Curriculum focuses on enjoyment and engagement in learning. It has a clear purpose on ‘getting it right for everyone’ by ensuring that learning is personalised to the needs of our learners. It is characterised by a broad, balanced, relevant, holistic and personalised curriculum, which accommodates and supports the needs of our learners, so they can reach their full potential – learning and preparing today, for tomorrow’s new journeys and destinations. Communication, wellbeing, independence and enjoyment are the key drivers: we want our students to be happy, to feel safe, to achieve their potential and to feel valued as a member of the community.
We currently offer internal work experiences for all students, either as part of careers week, through their ASDAN Accreditation or as part of their class responsibilities, having responsibilities to carry out daily tasks to support their class team and develop their independent skills in completing out task in a safe environment.
In all our three curriculum areas, Pre-formal, semi formal and formal there are opportunities to participate in work experiences through volunteering roles to support their Duke of Edinburgh awards around the school community or within our wider community. The school environment has a wide variety of employment opportunities for pupils to explore through practical work, exploring through sensory exploration, role play or observations. Each pupils’ needs are catered for to ensure they reach their full potential.
We work alongside outside provisions for students to experience one off tasters of longer-term placements. We have work with SIPS and have successfully secured work experience opportunities at Provision House Dudley for pupils to work with to sell items and experience shop work whilst selling items they have planned, resourced and made through their mini enterprise work as part of ASDAN. We also work alongside DPD whom provide work experience opportunities for our pupils to engage in.
We hold two annual enterprise afternoons where we welcome parents and external visitors to the school to join in with our Enterprise Day. Students plan, resource make and sell items. This is their Mini Enterprise project work to engage them into the world of work and responsibilities employment entails. Promoting independence skills, communication and cognition and learning skills.
We have welcome external visitors to the school and they participate in themed days to experience different job roles within the wider community. We have worked alongside Hugglepets to explore working with animals. We have welcomed an animal man to the school to work hands on with animals and experience/explore how we work and care for all kinds of animals. Most recently welcoming a circle skills person to explore the world of entertainment and what skills you need to work in this field.
