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At Cardinal Heenan we support our students in finding meaningful work experience placements. Work experience is an opportunity for young people to gain an insight into the world of work, and to help them prepare for the responsibilities and opportunities of adult life. 

We expect all of our Year 10 students to go on their work experience placement in the last two weeks of term.

This years work experience is Monday 7th July - Friday 18th July 2025.

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Arranging a work experience placement

Students are asked, in the first instance, to try to arrange a placement for themselves. This is called a self-placement. In order to arrange a placement for themselves, students are asked to consider the type of placement that they are interested in. They will then need to approach the employer in person, by phone, letter or email in order to secure the placement. Some companies may ask for a CV. Advice on writing CV’s and approaching work experience employers is provided by tutors in form time sessions, as well as using the Unifrog Platform. Additional advice for students can be found using the link below:

https://www.unifrog.org/know-how/for-students-a-guide-to-work-placements

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Things to consider when arranging a work experience placement

• We discourage students from working with their parents or relatives, as a major part of the experience is for the students to work with people that they have not worked with before in a new environment.
• We cannot accept placements where your child would be working on a one to one basis.
• Some placements require protective clothing, which are not always provided by the employer.
• Placements working with children or vulnerable adults may require applicants to be DBS (police) checked.
• Any student working with animals is advised to have a tetanus injection.
• It is a good idea to research transport links before deciding on a placement.

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Completing the Unifrog placements tool

Once a work experience placement is agreed, the students are asked to complete the Unifrog's placement tool to upload their employers' details. Once complete, the employer will receive an email notification advising them to log into Unifrog and confirm the placement, which will include their insurance and health and safety information. Once the employer has uploaded all relevant information, a parent/ guardian is then required to authorise the students' placement by clicking on the link sent to them via Unifrog.

Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to upload your employers details. 

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Work Experience Preparation Day

All Year 10 students take part in a work experience preparation day. They are asked to complete a series of activities in sessions designed to get them to think carefully about their upcoming placement. The sessions include:

• Preparing for a work experience placement
• Getting the most out of a work experience placement
• Employability skills
• Health and safety

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Prior to the Work Experience Placement

 Each student receives a Work Experience Log book that they must complete thoroughly during the placement. They are given instructions on how to complete the log book. A copy of the log book will be uploaded later in the academic year.

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During the Work Experience Placement

Work Experience Log Book

We ask that students complete their log book thoroughly during the placement, and bring it back into school with them in the first school week in September. There are sections in the log book for their employer and parent/carer to complete.

Absence/Lateness

If a student cannot attend/will be late for any reason we ask them to contact the work placement and school by phone. If the work experience placement is closed the student must attend school that day.

Issues/Concerns

If a student has any issues/concerns during the work experience placement we ask their parent/carer to contact us.

Staff Visits

During the placement staff will visit the employer and student to find out how they are getting on.

Email to Employers

An email will be sent to employers asking them to complete feedback on the student.

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After the Work Experience Placement

Students are asked to bring their work experience log books back into school in the first week back in September. We use the information in the log book to support them with CV writing, personal statements, and college/6th form interview preparation.