Life skills

Young Enterprise

Our Young Enterprise scheme gives pupils in key Stage 4 pupils the opportunity to get ‘hands on’ experience of the business world. Young people work together to set up and run a business themselves using a small loan from the school. This helps to develop a range of life skills, including communication, team work, negotiation and social skills.

Building independence skills to achieve economic well-being

Clay Hill School supports young people in line with the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, and the Children Act 2004 in working to ‘Achieve Economic Well-Being’. We understand that a young person must have the life and independence skills to be able to reach their potential and make full use of their academic potential. We help to develop these skills through:

• Offering a variety of life skills training courses
• Using ASDAN towards independence modules
• Using the Priory Individual Skills for Life Planner for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 pupils
• Supporting pupils to look at the employment and career options available to them
• Providing independent travel training to those who require it
• Organising college taster days

Being heard

By the time our pupils leave Clay Hill School, we want them to understand that they can make a valuable contribution to society. It is our mission to equip our young people with the tools to feel confident when communicating their opinions and to do so in a constructive way which likely to bring about positive change.

Clay Hill School has a well-established student council which meets every six weeks to discuss issues related to all aspects of the school. Pupils appoint a treasurer and each meeting has a formal agenda. The council also receives a budget each term, which they can choose to spend as they see fit.

The school also offers pupils multiple avenues to discuss their concerns and opinions directly with staff. We fully support and encourage young people to look to their future positively through day-to-day conversations, key worker sessions and children and young people's meetings. Key worker sessions enable young people to discuss their problems individually and residential pupils also have a key worker file where meetings and achievements are recorded.

Proven success in preparing young people for adulthood

Clay Hill School has an outstanding track record in preparing young people to re-engage with the community and become successful citizens. That’s what we are here to do. We make sure that our young people are able to be an integral part of, and give back to, their local community long after they leave us.