Careers Programme

At Joseph Clarke School, we have high aspirations for our pupils and believe many will go on to achieve employment.  Through specialist career guidance, work experience opportunities, and employability skills training, we are committed to doing whatever we can to help our pupils follow their chosen path.

Throughout the curriculum and specifically in PSHE lessons, we seek to introduce pupils to a wide range of careers and encourage them to think about their career ambitions as early as possible.  As well as helping pupils develop key transferrable employability skills such as teamwork, decision-making and communication, and interaction skills, we arrange a number of talks and visits designed to give pupils an excellent understanding of the world of work.

Through one-to-one meetings and personalised plans, we give our pupils tailored career advice and guidance so that they know what skills, experience, and qualifications they need to gain in order to follow their chosen career paths.

For some of our pupils, this preparation for adulthood involves gaining experience of the wider community and enhancing their decision-making skills ready for supported living in the future.

Careers Policy

Project SEARCH

As part of Flourish Learning Trust, Joseph Clarke School pupils have the opportunity to participate in Project SEARCH - a supported internship program for young people with sensory impairments, learning disabilities, and/or those on the autistic spectrum.

As part of the project, young people aged 16-24 undertake three work placements at Whipps Cross Hospital in east London working in a range of clinical and non-clinical departments as porters, receptionists, and assistants.

Throughout the year-long program, interns receive intensive, personalised support from exceptional mentors who ensure they feel secure and comfortable every step of the way.  Support might include helping interns travel independently to work, giving them the confidence to speak to new people, or identifying ways to work through a list of tasks.  This support enables our interns to excel in their placements and become highly-valued team members making a meaningful contribution to their department.

With an employment success rate of over 70%, Project SEARCH has a proven track record of helping young people with SEND secure fulfilling and meaningful jobs.  Some graduates of the programme go on to gain full-time, paid employment which they have secured through competitive application processes.

Find out more here

Careers Programme at Joseph Clarke School

The Department for Education SEND Code of Practice 2015 states it is important that young people start to think about their aspirations as early as possible and that from year 9 at the latest, there is help to start planning for a successful transition to adulthood.

Students participate in a programme of Careers Education and Preparing for Adulthood, complementing and supporting the Careers Information, Advice and Guidance provision within school.  The Careers Programme is tailored to each curriculum pathway and then personalised where appropriate.  Our Careers Programme has been designed to link to the SEND Gatsby Benchmarks.  It is delivered explicitly through PSHE lessons, National Careers Week (where we will be inviting along adults with a vision impairment to talk about their careers in March 2022) and is embedded through the wider curriculum, for example, through:

• opportunities across the curriculum to develop transferable life and social skills that support careers, employability and enterprise
• the development of students’ self-advocacy, negotiation, decision-making and transition skills
• purposeful interactions with a range of trusted and familiar adults including school staff and visitors
• recognition of the learner voice and the active involvement of young people in decisions that affect their future, both individually and collectively
• developing the skills for independent travelling

Careers advice and guidance take many forms and is personalised to each individual student, depending on the students’ needs.  This also forms part of the annual Person-Centred Review meetings and personalised outcomes are written accordingly.

Career Leaders

Emma Merry - Joseph Clarke School Careers Leader (emma.merry@josephclarke.waltham.sch.uk)

CLA Designated Teacher

Joseph Clarke School Designated Lead – Chadia Filali-Moutei

(Chadia.filali-moutei@josephclarke.waltham.sch.uk)

Family Support Team

Sarah Bent – Joseph Clarke School (sarah.bent@josephclarke.waltham.sch.uk)

Careers Advisers

MENCAP and Jade Wallace

Project Search – Supported Internship Programme