ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between the work placements that school students undertake and their social class. It sets out the findings from two research studies: 'The work experience placements of secondary school students' and 'What a person can be they must be'. The five schools in the initial study were chosen in order to provide a range in terms of their social composition. The chapter defines social class in terms of socio-economic status (SES) for the purposes of this research, and used eligibility for free school meals (FSM) as a proxy indicator of the SES of the school populations. The research has demonstrated that, in general, the lower the SES of the school, the less likely it is that placements will be located in managerial and professional workplaces. The final issue in the initial research concerns the relationship between the social status of the work placement sites and the roles and responsibilities undertaken by students.
