Work Experience
This page contains the information students and parents need to organise their work experience.
Young people are more likely to be successful in their job hunt if they have experienced some meaningful work experience. Work experience helps young people to make informed choices and improve career readiness and employability.
All students in both year 10 and year 12 partake in one week’s work experience.
We consistently achieve over 90% of students going out on placement each year.
Work experience is a valuable opportunity for our young people to explore the world of work, build confidence, and develop the essential skills that employers look for. These vital skills are essential in the workplace and are all transferrable to any job or career. Students learn how to work in a team, and to develop their communication, confidence, resilience, organisation, problem-solving, and networking skills.
Why do we do work experience?
- In doing work experience, students become more aware of their passions, skills and work preferences and understand how these could inform their career choices. They can test out their interests before they commit to a future pathway.
- Students benefit from being inspired and motivated by careers opportunities which they may not have otherwise considered.
- Students have a deeper level of knowledge and understanding about the role responsibilities, and pathways of careers in their areas of interest.
- Understanding of growth sectors: Students understand how the local and national labour market is changing and what this might mean for their career choices.
- Students will learn about workplace etiquette and professionalism
Local Employer Links
Lord Lawson have links with a wide range of local employers across all sectors. Students are expected to find their own placements to help them with independence and confidence, and to begin to gain an understanding of the recruitment process. If students are struggling to find a placement, our careers team are more than happy to support and make suggestions about which employers they can contact.
Preparing for Work Experience
Students complete a range of preparation tasks both during morning tutor sessions, and during two dedicated PD lessons. This helps to guide them in finding a placement, focussing on; how to contact employers; researching possible placements; health & safety in the workplace; how to behave in the workplace; preparing for interview; and reflection on work experience using a journal. Students also have an assembly in October that provides them with the key messages they need to prepare for work experience, as well as parent/carer communication via letter as we highly value parent support and input in helping your young person to find a work experience placement.
Work experience dates
Year 10: 30 March – 2 April 2026 Please note this will be a four-day placement only from Monday to Thursday due to it being a public holiday on Friday of that week (Good Friday 3rd April).
Year 12: 6 – 10 July 2026
Support and Timeline
Students should source their own placements by contacting organisations directly. This allows students to choose placements relevant to them and we would appreciate your help and support in assisting your child in securing a work placement.
The deadline for placements to be submitted on to Unifrog is Friday 30 January 2026. We are using Unifrog (www.unifrog.org) to manage the administration of the work experience programme – this will allow students to collect information from the employer about their Health & Safety policy, as well as getting agreement from yourselves for the placement to go ahead.
If your child is finding it difficult to source a placement, they should contact Miss Leigh via email at: [email protected] or by visiting her in her office, which is located within Year 8 Base. Miss Leigh will organise a suitable time to assist your child in finding a placement.
More information and details are given in the following PP presentations and posters, including deadlines that need to be met. There is also a guide on how to use the Placements Tool in Unifrog, that is the management system used to organise work experience to ensure the safeguarding and health & safety of students on placements.
Please note, the Unifrog Placement Tool is not a means to find a placement by students, and should only be used once a placement has been agreed with an employer.
Year 10 Work Experience Letter_October 2025
Parent Information for Work Experience 2026
For year 10 work experience queries, please contact Miss Leigh – [email protected]
For year 12 work experience queries, please contact Mrs Braban – [email protected].
