13 Feb Wargrave House School welcomes two work experience students ahead of National Apprenticeship Week 2024

This week marks National Apprenticeship Week, an annual celebration of the work and achievements of apprentices across the country. The theme for 2024, ‘Skills for Life’, focuses on the knowledge and skills that individuals can acquire from apprenticeships and use across their careers.

Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week 2024, Wargrave House School welcomed two students from St John Rigby College, located in Wigan, to partake in work experience.

Wargrave House School is keen to build upon its work experience and apprenticeship offering, so when Faith and Iman expressed interest in completing their placements at the school, it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Faith and Iman spent two weeks at the school, where they gained experience working in the education sector first-hand.

The pair are both in Year 12, studying a BTEC extended diploma in health and social care at St John Rigby College, with aspirations of working with children in a variety of settings.

Speaking on the placement experience, Faith said: “We’ve had the opportunity to work with a range of children and learn how to approach different situations, as well as what it’s like in a SEN environment.

“I think this experience is going to really support me with my future career aspirations!”

The students acted as teaching support assistants during their time at Wargrave House School, each spending a week with one particular class before moving to a different one, allowing them the opportunity to meet and work with different learners, with varying needs.

Faith explained how the responsibilities during the placement allowed her to understand the different needs of autistic individuals, she said: “It has been our responsibility to provide support for learners in the classroom, such as whilst they’re doing activities and tasks.

“It has been really interesting to understand the individual needs of each learner and how they respond to different activities.”

What Faith and Iman enjoyed

When asked about some of their favourite aspects of their roles, Iman said: “Engaging with them (the learners) has been great and very fun!”

Faith added: “Seeing how excited the learners get about different things. For example, when we visited the library one day, they were so excited, it was just for an hour, but they absolutely loved it! It was lovely to see.

“This is our first time doing work experience. Across our two years in sixth form studying health and social, we each need to complete 120 hours of placements as part of our course, and our time at the school will make up 55 hours of that.”

Not only was this Iman and Faith’s first placement but Wargrave House School’s too; the two weeks mark the first time that the school has invited students to gain experience.

Carl Glennon, Head Teacher of Wargrave House, commented: “It has been a delight to welcome Faith and Iman to our school. Young people are our future, and it is key that those working with children are equipped with the knowledge and tools to support all children, including those with SEN.

“We would all like to thank Faith and Iman for their hard work during their time here and wish them the best of luck on their journeys. Our team are looking forward to inviting more students to Wargrave House School to gain experience and supporting them in developing an array of useful skills.”

Now, the school plans to continue forming further relationships with the local community, including students, businesses and more, as it works to enhance its work experience and apprenticeship offering in addition to the opportunities that can be provided for learners through meaningful partnerships.