Case Study
Creating Career Opportunities for Young People with Special Educational Needs
Case Study Type:
Public Engagement Case Study
Sand dune system:
Studland Bay, Dorset
Case Study Subject:
Creating career opportunities for young people with special educational needs within the Studland area
About The Dune System Engagement Intervention
Background information
BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole) is the local urban conurbation to NT Purbeck Estate, Brownsea Island and Kingston Lacy. There are a number of SEND (special educational needs & disability) schools and centres in BCP with young people eager and able to work. Since the pandemic, many schools and centres saw a drop in partnerships providing students with work experience. Schools and centres cited discrimination to their students and an unwillingness for organisations to partner with them.
Montacute School is a SEND school based in Poole who were looking for work experience to enrich the experiences of their students, increase confidence, integrate the young people into the community and provide employability skills.
What did you do and how?
Our properties did not have the staff capacity or experience to independently deliver work experiences for under 18-year-olds. What we did have though, was suitable and varied work, resources, space and staff willingness to help. We worked closely with both the teachers at Montacute, and the students involved in the work experience, to develop a programme that met everyone’s needs:
- Weekly work experience sessions, Wednesday mornings during term time
- 4-6 students attending
- Group accompanied by teacher & teaching assistant
- Program begun in September 2021 and continues today
- Tasks & activities tailored to meet the interests of the young people
- Each term involves work at a different site/ team to expand skill set, experience & interest, while also spreading staff capacity
- Model involves an NT staff or volunteer member providing the group with the induction and training. Then the teacher & TA lead the group through their tasks.
During the almost two years, the young people have achieved the following:
- Completed their individual John Muir Awards
- Developed a Studland Bay welcome video for other people with SEND
- Used wood cut by the Dynamic Dunescapes project to build a sculpture for the Easter trail 2023
- Participated in the arty bird project, painting a large bird which was installed by the protective wader fence to communicate the conservation work
- Conservation work: heath star moss removal & pine pulling
- Maintenance work: pothole filling, weeding, path clearance, fence installation
Critical success factors
- Being present in the community space allowed us to understand the societal need and respond effectively. In this case, NT are not just providing an offer, we are creating an offer by and for the young people to fill a wider societal gap.
- Collaboration with both the teachers and the young people themselves. We created and adapted this program together, rather than just offering out something standard. This meant it met everyone’s needs & wishes, while also being mutually owned by everyone.
- Championing our value make it happen by being proactive and confident in trialing things out. Being able to say ‘yes’ and then work out the details and structures as you go along means that we didn’t lose energy and were able to get things off the ground.
- Investing time & capacity with the development and trial days, which built strong relationships to ensure legacy. Even though there was staff turnover at Montacute and the National Trust, we managed to maintain the program because in both cases this work became business as usual.
- Setting expectations on what NT can offer. We aren’t education providers or activity leaders, nor does out staff have the capacity to deliver this. Being clear on what we can offer and where our stretch is ensures that we develop something sustainable.
- Having a Dunescapes engagement officer provided the time & capacity to scope and develop this program of work
- Dunescapes conservation work provided lots of work to get involved in
Unexpected Outcomes
One young person took a particular interest to the outdoor physical work and the positive impact it was having on conservation. He now wants to pursue a career as a ranger, and we are working to involve him in the ranger volunteer days to increase his experience and skill levels. The young person suffers from social anxiety, and it took 2-years of regular work in Purbeck for him to voice his passion. He will be mentored by a ranger who also used to suffer from social anxiety to embed him into the ranger volunteer days.
Impact and change (participants and partnerships)
Six young people with special education needs have gained significant skills and experiences in the conservation sector. They have contributed positively to the site and have been involved with a number of events and projects, increasing the feeling that this is a space for them.
Teachers have been trained on how to use the site and what resources are available so they can independently lead work experience sessions. The relationship is now held between the two organisations, rather than individuals, which further ensures the legacy of the project work.
Email from the teacher: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have done to help set up such an amazing opportunity for our young adults at Montacute school! They really enjoy their time at the national trust and are excited to continue into the spring/summer.”
Impact and change (NT organisation)
Our staff and volunteers have developed their confidence and skills on delivering & providing work experience. Since Montacute, Purbeck Estate have also developed their under-18 work experience offer for local mainstream schools. We have now facilitated eight work experience and under-18 volunteering sessions, and many more are in the pipeline.
Our work with Montacute School was used as a case study in the BCP SEND networks, where we were asked to present the work in a conference as an exemplar for what other organisations could be doing.