Helping our students find their potential

At Sandgate we have the aspiration that all students will be able to experience and some will actively partake in the world of work having left school. With this in mind we offer opportunities for students to access and be involved with various aspects of working life.

Our PHSE curriculum provides for learning about the World of Work with initial sessions of ‘People who help us’, we actively encourage the Community Police officer, Mountain Rescue, First Responders, RSPCB volunteers etc into school to talk with the children and allow them to look at related equipment etc.

Some students will have formal access to Work Experience and this will take place in some cases at Key Stage 4 and in others at Post 16 depending on individual pathways through school for any given student.

Examples of work opportunities include Right to Work, Gardening with Chestnut Events, the charity SCOPE, the local Horticare and the cleaning of holiday homes with a former student’s family. These opportunities help to develop skills and attributes and build confidence in themselves thus providing our young people with a good basis for working in the environment, the structure associated with working, a degree of independence and knowledge about the skills required for the world of work.

During Post 16 our students are given the opportunity of taking part in the ‘Sandgate Foyer’ a café located at the South Lakes Foyer in Kendal (near the main bus station). Students assist to write menus, buy ingredients and prepare food for consumption at the café which is open to the general public. There is a rota for students taking part in cooking the food and being front of house participants which is open once a week. This gives a real experience of the world of work and associated skills and experience can be expanded upon.