Brackenfield SEND School Opens The Orchard, Adding 70 Places as 1.8% Find Paid Work
Updated
Updated · penguinpr.co.uk · Jun 23
Brackenfield SEND School Opens The Orchard, Adding 70 Places as 1.8% Find Paid Work
1 articles · Updated · penguinpr.co.uk · Jun 23
Summary
Brackenfield SEND School has opened The Orchard in Long Eaton, creating 70 new specialist secondary places and expanding post-16 support aimed at moving more pupils with SEND into employment and independent adult life.
Just 1.8% of working-age adults with a learning disability who receive long-term support in the D2N2 region are in paid employment, a gap the school says its enlarged employability pathways are designed to address.
The new facility adds dedicated space for employability, life-skills, communication and independence training within Brackenfield’s Learning for Life programme, which includes work placements, travel training, careers education and supported internships.
Employer links with IKEA Giltbrook, Inspiro Learning and Stepnell Construction underpin that model, while school-cited research says four or more employer encounters make young people 86% less likely to become NEET.
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2024, Brackenfield says the expansion strengthens its push to become a regional centre of excellence for preparing young people with SEND for adulthood.
With the national SEND system 'failing,' can specialized employment programs like this truly be scaled?
If mainstream inclusion doubles job prospects, are elite special schools a flawed solution?
From School to Work: Addressing Low Employment for SEND Graduates in Derbyshire with Enhanced Education and Supported Internships
Overview
This report explores the ongoing challenge of low employment rates among graduates with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), focusing on those with learning disabilities. Learning disabilities are lifelong neurological conditions that affect how individuals process and use information, which can impact academic success, social relationships, and especially employment opportunities. Accurately measuring employment rates for this group is difficult due to inconsistent data collection, but it is clear that these rates remain very low. The report highlights the need for targeted support, practical work experiences, and strong partnerships between schools, employers, and local authorities to help SEND graduates transition successfully into meaningful employment.