Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf, Birmingham
Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf, Birmingham B36 8AF
Braidwood is the only secondary special school for Deaf learners in the Midland region, catering for the needs of around 60 learners drawn from 6 different local authorities. In terms of prior attainment, 100% of Braidwood pupils lie in the lowest attainment band on entry to the school.
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)
The school has recently gained the Quality in Careers Standard, awarded under licence by Prospects. The school has been invited to submit a further, short report detailing actions taken re development points, plus information about any new developments in order to achieve the highest, Gold level which rewards exceptional and innovative practice.
The Deputy Head leads CEIAG provision for the school (He is also a school governor). Braidwood also commission independent, impartial IAG from a qualified and experienced careers adviser who works for Prospects. The careers adviser is a specialist who has been trained in legal aspects of law regarding SEN/EHCP to support parents and carers.
Braidwood School believes that every teacher is a careers teacher. All staff are aware of the contribution of their subjects to potential career paths and to courses in further/higher education and integrate careers discussions into their lessons. All classrooms have displays dedicated to careers linked with their subject area along with links to more information and advice.
All young people make excellent progress and are encouraged to aim high and overcome obstacles. Progress is monitored across the school using a CEIAG rubric signposting learner development. Destinations are always strong, with many moving into FE colleges, and in the past some learners have progressed to Higher education. Braidwood strives to maintain links with ex pupils and many return to school as guest speakers and act as positive role models.
Curriculum
The curriculum is planned to be imaginative, active and inclusive, making use of iPads issued to every learner. All students access college/training providers, and careers information, careers programmes (JED) and are encouraged to do so regularly. The school believes in preparing students for the future and arranges annual visits to local colleges, training providers and careers fairs, as well as involving an extensive range of local and national businesses as part of the CEIAG programme. The school also has a long-standing relationship with Mondelez International that allows learners to experience the process of applying for jobs through industry mentoring, completing application forms and undergoing mock interviews. Work experience and work shadowing placements are provided at timely intervals with a wide range of disability friendly employers as well as aiming to educate new employers as to the abilities of their learners.
Quality
The Prospects Accreditation Board identified the following strengths:
There is support at all levels for the central importance of CEIAG to the life of this school. The careers offer is fully understood and encouraged by an enthusiastic and inspirational Headteacher, led by a skilled senior leader, and supported by all staff.
Appropriate financial resources are allocated to careers &ndash including paying for the work of an exceptional external careers adviser who has formed an affective partnership with the deputy head who leads on careers.
The inclusion of parents and carers is an essential element of the careers programme, including a written entitlement to CEIAG support as well as offering advice and support to learners and their families.
The school can show evidence of many examples of innovative practice, including impressive use of video technology and production of signed resources.
Enterprise activities are much in evidence, including the innovative pop up restaurants devised by students who decorated classrooms as themed, national restaurants, and prepared and served food while dressed in appropriate work uniforms.
The school is willing to share innovative practice with others, including adapted, personal versions of the learning outcomes from the CDI Framework adapted to produce an individual CEIAG progress report for each child.
There is excellent work taking place to support all students to understand the relevance of each curriculum subject to the real world of work, including transferable skills, and an understanding of the links between curriculum subjects and the jobs they could lead to.
Assessors noted: the words embedded and integrated are sometimes overused in the context of a whole-school CEIAG offer, however, in this case it is absolutely obvious that much of the work of this school is geared to preparing all their young people for the next stage of learning, training or work. Much emphasis is on gaining employability skills in an attempt to give students a competitive edge in a job market that includes candidates with far higher academic qualifications than they have.
Contact Details:
Deputy Head Teacher and lead for CEIAG: Philip Bailey (p.bailey@braidwood.bham.sch.uk)
August 2017
Date Added: 25 August 2017