Work Experience

In Year 10, Braunton Academy students engage in a week's work experience. The onus is on students to find a placement and this helps them find out about a prospective career pathway. Students can investigate any career in any location they wish within the UK. The only limitation is that the placement must be health and safety checked and have Employer and Public Liability Insurance cover. In the past, students have undertaken placements all over the UK.​

Work Experience is invaluable in finding out about the world of work and beginning to apply the skills that students are developing at Braunton Academy. It is all about helping the students achieve economic well being and giving more relevance to their learning so that they can make a positive contribution to the school's community.​

In 2008 the school was awarded the 'Investors in Enterprise and Work Related Learning' Award in recognition of the quality of our careers and vocational programmes.​

In 2013 Careers South West compiled destinations data for the 2012 cohorts in all of the 37 state secondary schools in Devon county. We were immensely proud to be in the top 3 state schools in Devon.

(Colyton Grammar 1st, Teign School 2nd and Braunton Academy 3rd out of 37 State secondary schools in Devon County).

•96.7% of former students are at College, Sixth forms or in employment with good quality training/apprenticeships.
•0.7% are employed with no training.
•0% are Not in Employment Education or Training(NEET).
•2.7% have relocated to other parts of the country.

Many of our former students go on to succeed at top Universities.

In the summer of 2010 we were delighted to become an investors in careers school.

There are a wide range of work experience opportunities that our Year 10 students can engage in every year. We are always very grateful to local employers who do an excellent job at mentoring our students on work placements. 

If you would like to contact the Work Experience Team please email workexperience@braunton.academy

Work Experience 2026

In the week beginning 18th May, our Year 10 students took an exciting step beyond the classroom as they embarked on their work experience placements. This valuable opportunity allowed students to explore the world of work first-hand, building confidence, skills and a greater understanding of potential career pathways.

Students were placed across an incredibly diverse range of industries, reflecting both their individual interests and the breadth of opportunities available today. These included health services and care work, garages, hospitality and catering, retail, computing, childcare and education, building trades, office environments, animal care, agriculture, leisure, charity work, cleaning, engineering, architecture, security services, arts and crafts, hair and beauty, legal services, manufacturing, accountancy, banking and even yachting.

Placements were organised across a wide geographical area. While many students gained experience locally, others travelled nationally, and some even secured international placements, making the week truly memorable and unique.

Throughout the week, students demonstrated enthusiasm, professionalism and a willingness to learn. They embraced new challenges, developed practical skills and gained a valuable insight into the expectations and responsibilities of working life. For many, this was their first real experience of the workplace, and it has provided inspiration and motivation for their future career aspirations.

We are incredibly proud of how our students represented themselves and the school, and of the maturity they showed during their placements.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to all the employers and organisations who supported this programme. Their time, effort and commitment in creating such meaningful and engaging experiences have been invaluable. By opening their doors, they have helped shape the future ambitions of our students and provided experiences that will undoubtedly stay with them for years to come.

These opportunities play a vital role in preparing our young people for the future, and we are grateful to everyone involved in making this year’s work experience week such a success.

Work Experience 2027

Our work experience for year 10 students in this academic year will take place on the week beginning the 5th July 2027.  Please follow the link below to the letter the students have received regarding the programme.  

We use Unifrog (www.unifrog.org) to manage the administration of the work experience programme - for example collecting information from the employer about their Risk Assessment and Health & Safety policy, as well as getting agreement from parents for the placement to go ahead.  

Some important logistics:-

• Students needs to agree the placement with the employer first, and then students will get the ball rolling by adding the placement to their Unifrog account (they'll find the Placement Tool on their Unifrog homepage).
  
  
• The Unifrog system will then email the employer, the parent/guardian, and the school, to collect the necessary information and permissions.  For the process to work, it's essential that students add the initial information about the placement accurately.  Below is a link to a form which details all the information you will need to enter your placement onto Unifrog.  

Work Experience Information Letter for Parents October 2026

Prospects

Work Experience and Your Safety

Connexions Advice on Work Experience