Giving Young People the Power to Choose Their Future
Karen Taylor, Director of Post-16, Linwood School
At Linwood’s Post-16 provision, ambition is reflected in a set of rich, diverse curriculum pathways tailored to the needs of their students – whether they’re preparing for college, exploring supported employment, or developing independence and life skills.
“We’re ambitious for all our learners, and it’s really important to us that we provide opportunities for students to be involved in decisions about their learning and future pathways.”
From academic pathways designed for autistic learners at our Summerwood campus to the the Avenues curriculum for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, Linwood’s approach centres on preparation for life in its fullest sense. That includes travel training, community engagement, personal and social development, wellbeing, and functional literacy and numeracy.
One of the standout examples of this tailored approach is the Classroom in the Heart of Industry (CHI) — a unique part of the Linwood School provision designed for students aged 16–19 with an EHCP. CHI is a two- or three-year programme focused on developing employability skills alongside gaining recognised qualifications.
The project acts as a gateway to employment by providing students with real world experience and training to prepare them for the world of work. CHI brings together education and industry partners to deliver a curriculum that is both meaningful and practical.
“It’s all about reflection,” Karen says. “We want students across post 16 to understand themselves, to make choices, to build confidence – and be ready for what’s next.”
In year one at CHI, students rotate between placements in a large local hotel and a large supermarket where they get to work in a variety of departments and experience the various job roles and tasks within each. By being supported to engage in reflection and daily self-evaluation students can express their thoughts about how they found each job role and begin to identify their own areas of strength and express preferences for which roles they might like to take a ‘deeper dive’ into.
By the end of year one, having identified roles of interest they will move into more focussed placements and be learning those job roles in more detail. In years two and three students will work closely with a team of Placement Coordinators to identify which areas of work are of most interest to them and the team then find appropriate work placements for them within local businesses.
“It’s about giving them opportunities to grow – & to become more independent.”
That philosophy continues through the Skills Centre, which features three businesses: Tasty Bites (a food enterprise), Create and Grow (woodwork and gardening), and Excellence (digital skills and crafts).
Students choose where they want to work – and if something isn’t the right fit, they’re supported to move. Choice and voice are both central to the approach. “It’s all about giving them opportunities to grow – to become more independent, to thrive.”
Evidence for Learning plays a key role in helping staff track progress across these strands – including bespoke frameworks like Linwood’s own Employability Skills Framework and Skills for My Future.
These capture key employability skills like communication, organisation and personal presentation, and enable meaningful reflection by both students and staff.
“It helps everyone see where they’re at, what they’ve achieved, and where they’re going.”
Whether they’re learning to use public transport, gaining confidence with a self- checkout, or exploring whether they thrive front-facing or behind the scenes— every experience at Linwood is designed to equip students not just for employment, but for a future built on confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging.
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