Discover how Chertsey High School launched a full Year 10 work experience programme with limited staff, using The Changing Education Group’s Work Experience Suite to simplify processes, reduce admin, and empower students.

Who was involved in delivering work experience at Chertsey High School?

Tom Corry, Careers Leader at Chertsey High School, leads careers education across the school and now serves as Director of Careers across a cluster of Primary, Secondary, and SEND schools.

Tom’s passion for careers provision grew during the COVID years, when the value of purpose-driven education became clearer than ever.

“It highlighted why we have an education system in the first place. I knew I wanted our students to leave with a real sense of direction, and access to the futures they deserve.”

What challenges did the school face with work experience?

Like many schools, Chertsey High struggled with the time-intensive admin of work experience:

• Contacting employers
• Chasing paperwork
• Managing risk assessments
• Keeping staff and parents informed

Tom explains:

“Our biggest challenge was the time it took to contact placements and carry out all of the required checks.”

The Changing Education Group helped solve this by taking the operational burden off staff, while still giving Tom’s team full visibility and control.

“Using The Changing Education Group meant we only needed a small amount of dedicated time to oversee the programme, because the checks were done by their team and updated through the app.”

How did students respond to the programme?

The response from students and employers was overwhelmingly positive.

“The vast majority of our students thoroughly enjoyed their placements,” says Tom.

“Especially those who pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones.”

Highlights included:

• Students gaining confidence in unfamiliar environments
• Employers providing glowing feedback about student professionalism
• Young people discovering careers they hadn’t previously considered

“The feedback was humbling. Hearing how our students engaged in workplace settings was so lovely.”

Would Chertsey High recommend The Changing Education Group?

Absolutely.

“For any school thinking of running work experience with limited staff capacity, I’d strongly recommend The Changing Education Group.”

Tom praised the professional design of the dashboard and the straightforward user experience, making it easy to deliver a full-scale programme with limited staff input.

“The app and dashboard enabled us to put on a work experience programme for our entire Year 10 cohort, with minimal staffing.”

Make Work Experience Simpler at Your School

If you’re a school looking to deliver meaningful, compliant work experience without overloading your team, we’re here to help.

The Changing Education Group supports hundreds of schools with:

• Time-saving work experience delivery
• Hands-free compliance and employer engagement
• Student-first platforms built for engagement and insight

Book your provision review to see how we can tailor our support to your school’s needs.

Together, let’s empower students to thrive in the world of work, with less admin and more impact.

FAQs

1. Can this system support a full-year group with limited staff?
Yes, as shown at Chertsey High School, schools can manage entire cohorts efficiently with our support.

2. What tasks does The Changing Education Group handle?
We manage placement communication, compliance checks, risk assessments, and employer onboarding, all fed back through our platform.

3. Is the app easy for students and staff to use?
Yes, our platform is designed to be intuitive, mobile-friendly, and accessible to all users.

4. Do we need to already have employer contacts?
Not at all, we help source placements and maintain employer engagement on your behalf.

5. Can this work for small careers teams or teaching staff?
Yes, the system is built to save time and support schools with limited dedicated career capacity.