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Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to sector-leading practice

The distinctive curriculum at Coleg Elidyr emphasises experiential, practical learning and offers a well-rounded approach to learning that draws on land-based, vocational and craft subjects to help learners develop skills for a more independent life. 

The college is committed to the belief that all learners, whatever their abilities or needs, are able to make a unique and individual contribution to the life of the community through work.  However, by 2011, the changing profile of the college’s learners meant that most were unlikely to enter employment on leaving college.  The most likely destination for most learners would be supported living in an urban environment.  It was recognised that staff needed to develop a new understanding of how their work areas could help learners develop the skills they needed to access their chosen destinations.

Description of nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

The college’s first step was to establish a greater understanding of the purpose of each subject or work area, through asking the following questions: what skills does each learner need to make a successful transition to their future destination and how can each learning area contribute to the development of these skills?  What emerged from discussions was a recognition that while learning areas enabled learners to develop specific vocational skills, they also provided opportunities for the development of a broad range of transferable skills.  These skills included literacy, numeracy, communication, social skills and problem solving skills as well as work-related skills, such as an understanding of working practices, health and safety and teamwork.

The college provided training for all staff to make sure that they understood how to integrate the teaching of transferable skills with their own subject-specific teaching.  Session plans clearly demonstrated how transferable skills would be taught alongside vocational skills.  Each tutor developed progression ladders for their own work or subject area and targets were set and reviewed against these on a regular basis, according to the ability of each individual learner.

At the same time, the college appointed a work experience co-ordinator.  Her first task was to extend the range of external work experience placements, so that learners could choose placements that suited their particular interests and linked well to the learning they were doing in college.  She contributed to assessing progress within the placements, ensuring learners’ targets were being addressed within the workplace.

In addition, the college undertook a thorough review of the opportunities for work experience on site.  The priority was to ensure that these built on a learner’s prior learning while developing the skills and confidence needed to access work experience externally.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

The skills that learners develop at Coleg Elidyr enable them to participate successfully in work experience both within and outside the college.  All learners participate in internal work experience, including working on the farm, in the office and in the garden.

Many of the learners progress to regular external work experience in Years 2 and 3, including gardening and working in a local community shop. 

The focus on developing skills prepares learners extremely well for life after college and helps them grow in confidence and self-esteem.

Through its involvement in the Unlocking the Potential of Special Schools (UPOSS) FE initiative in Carmarthenshire, the college has shared this work with representatives from Coleg Sir Gar, Careers Wales, Heol Goffa Special School and the local authority.  In addition, it has shared the practice with other independent specialist colleges in Wales through regular networking opportunities.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to sector-leading practice

Vocational Skills Partnership (VSP) is a consortium of four private work based learning providers in Abercynon. It was developed in order to meet the challenges set out in the ‘Transformation of Post 16 Education and Learning in Wales’ agenda.

The promotion of learners’ wellbeing is a fairly new concept for Post 16, work-based learning. In conjunction with Acorn and Babcock, VSP identified a need to be able to effectively advocate the concept to learners primarily employed and based in the workplace. Following various meetings between the three providers, it was agreed that developing a single location where learners, employers and employees could access the latest up-to-date information and advice on how to improve their wellbeing, or the wellbeing of their employees, could be extremely effective.

Rather than developing three separate strategies, the three providers worked together to create a central Wellbeing information point, which became called ‘My Wellbeing Hub’. To raise funds to develop this venture, the three partners submitted a bid to the Welsh Government’s Quality Improvement fund (QIF).

Nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

Following the successful QIF application, VSP led the development of ‘My Wellbeing Hub’. VSP arranged monthly meetings with Acorn and Babcock in order to plan, launch, monitor, review and continuously improve ‘My Wellbeing Hub’.

VSP recruited a ‘Go Wales’ graduate project worker to explore the numerous themes linked to wellbeing and undertake research into the types of resources that should be made available for the learners. As part of this process, questionnaires and interviews were conducted with learners, employers and other stakeholders to determine the demand for information on specific topics and an understanding of the most important areas to include on the Hub. We also researched what help various support agencies could provide and included a useful ‘sign-posting service’ to these. Eventually, we developed an easy-to-use website available to learners outside of VSP, Babcock and Acorn at the following address: mywellbeinghub.co.uk. We have made the site interactive through linking it to social media platforms, promoting discussion on issues around learners’ wellbeing and encouraging them to ask for specific guidance if necessary. We have ensured that the content remains current and relevant by linking RSS (Rich Site Summary) feeds to the site displaying the latest news, articles, advice and guidance on Wellbeing.

Impact on provision and learners’ standards

‘My Wellbeing Hub’ has had a positive impact on learners through arming them with the knowledge and understanding they need to manage their own wellbeing.

Since the site became ‘live’ in May 2012, there have been on average 745 hits per month. As a result of using the website, tutors report that learners have become able to focus better on their learning.

Many learners have given positive feedback. Individual cases include a learner who who wanted to give up smoking being directed to ‘MyWellbeingHub’ by her Skills Assessor. The support that she gained as a result was very helpful and as a result, she has not smoked for 4 months. In addition, she has developed a better general understanding of how to keep healthy and is now able to learn more effectively as a result.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to sector-leading practice

ISA Training (ISA) was established in 1998 as a privately-owned, work-based learning provider, based in South Wales. ISA delivers work-based learning programmes throughout Wales and South West England, predominately in the hair and beauty sector. In Wales, programmes are funded by the Welsh Government’s Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Programmes include Foundation Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships, and Flexible Funded Learning. ISA also delivers traineeships in hair and beauty on behalf of ITEC, as well as programmes for 14 to 19-year-old learners in schools in Wales. In addition to work-based learning programmes, ISA also delivers a range of commercial courses to the hair and beauty sector.

ISA Training gives learners a holistic view of their chosen career path in the hair sector and has an excellent reputation for being the expert training provider in this area.

One of ISA’s three main strategic aims is ‘to achieve excellence:- ensure quality delivery and identify and demonstrate sector-leading practices in the hair and beauty sector’.

Of current importance is the call to regulate the industry by means of state registration / regulation. The Hairdressing Council was established by an Act of Parliament in 1964. The intention of this body was to achieve mandatory state registration for hairdressers and bring the UK into line with other professions throughout Europe. Although the mandatory section of the Act was not secured, Parliament agreed to voluntary state registration.

The Hair and Beauty Sector Skills Council (HABIA) states that level 3 hairdressing apprenticeship programme is the recognised professional level in the sector. In the UK, typical progression rates from level 2 to level 3 qualifications are less than 28% for hairdressing.

ISA’s strategy encourages all educators and trainers working in the sector to inspire their students and learners to become state registered.

The importance of state registration to the professionalism of the industry is highlighted at induction so learners understand the value of their vocation at the outset of learning.

Nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

As part of ISA’s aim to lead by example, since 2008, all learners on level 3 training programmes, who complete their apprenticeship are state registered, with their registration fees funded by ISA Training for the first year of registration. ISA hairdressing staff must be state registered to be employed by the company. In 2011, ISA’s managing director Shirley Davis-Fox was appointed to the Hairdressing Council, the only member representing Wales. This is a positive step in influencing the hair sector and raising the profile and uptake of state registration in Wales.

Shirley continually endorses state registration in the media. This has included high-profile appearances on BBC Radio Wales as well as contributions to the Western Mail, sector journals and at national hair and beauty conferences.

As part of a recent campaign tour of Wales, Shirley visited salons and further education colleges to talk to learners, employers and lecturers highlighting the importance of state registration. She has also met with Welsh Government Members who pledged their continuing support to promoting state registration.

Additionally, ISA secured agreement from the Pan Wales Hair and Beauty Network that Wales will aim to ensure that by 2015, three-quarters of learners undertaking an advanced apprenticeship through work-based learning or full-time education are state registered.

Only master craftsman and hairdressing celebrities who are state registered are invited to attend Salon Cymru, ISA’s annual hairdressing competition. This requirement helps reinforce the message that state registration is the way forward to a successful career in the industry.

Emphasising the importance of state registration enhances the prestigious nature of the level 3 qualification, making it more desirable for learners to continue their training. This approach will ultimately improve skill levels in the sector. ISA is proud to be pioneering this strategy in Wales.

Seeing the campaign constantly in the media spotlight gives ISA learners the confidence that their ISA trainers are truly passionate professionals who care about the future of the industry in which they are starting their career.

Impact on provision and learners’ standards

Over a three year period since the start of the promotion and take up of state registration, learners’ attainment on the level 3 hairdressing apprenticeship programme has increased by 14%. This strategy has also had a significant impact on the employability standards in the sector, as state registration encourages salon owners to professionalise their workforce and recruit high-quality personnel.

Registered learners are invited to a prestigious ceremony at ISA’s Salon Cymru to receive their certificate in front of approximately 500 sector professionals. The certificates are presented by the registrar of the Hairdressing Council and high-profile celebrity hairdressers who support state registration. Photos are published in ISA’s magazine ‘Hot Gossip’ and the Hairdressing Council’s journal, which promotes state registration to others.

As a result of the campaign, ISA training has spoken to over 1000 learners across Wales about the importance of becoming state registered. To date 350 learners across Wales have become state registered since 2008.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to sector-leading practice

ISA Training (ISA) was established in 1998 as a privately-owned, work-based learning provider, based in South Wales. ISA delivers work-based learning programmes throughout Wales and South West England, predominately in the hair and beauty sector. In Wales, programmes are funded by the Welsh Government’s Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Programmes include Foundation Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships, and Flexible Funded Learning. ISA also delivers traineeships in hair and beauty on behalf of ITEC, as well as programmes for 14 to 19-year-old learners in schools in Wales. In addition to work-based learning programmes, ISA also delivers a range of commercial courses to the hair and beauty sector.

The company’s vision is ‘to be a company of dedicated people delivering world class learning to all’. ISA’s Oyster Strategy demonstrates the company’s drive to ensure this mission is continuously portrayed.

At its conception in 2009, the Oyster Strategy was initiated to enhance the range and quality of learning experiences and to improve opportunities for apprenticeship learners.

The aim of the strategy was to provide learners with opportunities to extend their career aspirations and gain relevant experience in sub-industries of the hair and beauty sector.

At the time the strategy was introduced, trends amongst higher-level apprenticeships showed a decline in learner numbers on level 3 programmes and in the numbers of learners successfully completing a level 3 programme. An analysis of learner and employer feedback, gathered as part of an internal review and market research into the reasons for this trend, indicated that the gap between the skills required for level 2 and level 3 programmes had increased. As a result, many learners lacked the confidence and technical ability to progress smoothly to a higher-level programme.

To bridge the gap between level 2 and level 3 programmes, ISA extended its Oyster Strategy to incorporate skills development. This approach was intended to benefit learners, employers, the hairdressing sector and the economy by developing a bespoke gap-year programme to assist the transition from level 2 to level 3 programmes.

To create a suitably balanced programme, ISA’s gap year was designed not just to improve learners’ technical skills but also to prepare learners more effectively for the changing nature of their role in the workplace by developing their employability, confidence and social skills.

Nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

The Oyster Strategy was originally introduced to facilitate and encourage progression in young people’s learning and to inspire them to realise that the ‘world is their oyster’. It was also designed to give learners suitable opportunities to gain experiences outside the norm of the general day-to-day hairdressing and beauty industry. A further aspect of the strategy was to enhance and broaden learners’ aspirations and encourage them to bring new ideas to their workplace.

The strategy consists of three strands:
• experiences, such as taking part in advanced technical workshops and photo shoots;
• exchanges, initially between Wales and England and now more widely throughout Europe; and
• a gap year bespoke programme that bridges the gap between level 2 and level 3 apprenticeships.

The Oyster Strategy is continuing to evolve and all three strands have been fully operational since 2012. Learners have been provided with opportunities to visit other salons with different dimensions from their own employers’ to encourage hairdressers to share best practice. The strategy thus sought to provide learners with opportunities to widen their experiences and develop and apply their skills in a setting outside of the traditional hairdressing environment. The experiences provided at stage 1 incorporated a number of initiatives to develop learners’ confidence and social skills, for example through experiences such as taster days within the industries of television hair & make up, competition work, photo shoots and educational practice.

For the exchanges, our vision was to create opportunities for learners to take part in work-placement activities within different settings in the UK and in other European countries. Initially, learners exchanged between salons in Wales and England. However, in May 2013 a group of 10 apprenticeship learners will be part of a mobility/work experience visit to Spain, funded by a Leonardo mobility project. To further develop the strategy and continue to enhance the scope of the exchange programme, a bid to participate in an exchange with Cyprus in 2014 is currently being tendered for. In future years, we aim to provide an increasing range of exchange experiences throughout the European Union and globally.

The gap year is a bespoke programme which has also been operational for one year. The programme incorporates the development of learners’:
• communication skills;
• advanced technical skills;
• emotional intelligence;
• employability skills;
• listening skills; and
• basic skills.

This combination of technical and social skills complements those other experiences designed to develop learners’ self-confidence and competence in their chosen profession. While this strategy makes a significant contribution to businesses in Wales and the local and national economy, the gap year programme helps bridge the gap between the different levels of apprenticeship and provides a package that supports learners to develop a broad range of skills. These experiences and skills help the learner develop as an individual and a team member, to remain engaged with their learning, and acquire the necessary maturity to successfully complete an advanced apprenticeship.

Further development of the gap year is currently in progress in collaboration with the awarding organisation Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT). The intention is to create a tailor-made programme, which can be offered on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), to replicate the programme for the hairdressing sector and the work-based learning network.

Impact on provision and learners’ standards

Since the commencement of the Oyster Strategy, over 30 learning experiences have taken place. These include a variety of activities such as wig making and hair-up workshops, as well as work experience at the BBC working on-set and off-set for a musical production.

Of the 26 learners enrolled on the gap year, 81% have successfully completed all components. Of those who have completed the programme, 62% have progressed to other hair and beauty related studies. Thirty-one per cent of these learners have commenced advanced apprenticeships, while 23% have begun barbering apprenticships and 8% have gone into management or attained senior roles in their workplaces.

A number of the learners going on the work placement in Spain were gap year learners.

We will monitor and report on their progress over the next 3 years to help us assess the impact of the initiative.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context

Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is a further education college in North Wales.

Strategy

The college offers a tailored response to the needs of individual learners. A young learner applied for a place on a construction course but did not have the required entry qualifications. The college offered the learner a place on a support course to gain the relevant qualifications. Since attaining the qualifications, the learner has been able to progress to the course of his choice.

Action

Initial assessment identified the learner’s numeracy skills at entry level 1. His first language is Welsh, and he has a hearing impairment. He lip-reads in Welsh and can understand, but does not use, sign language. He did not want to take up support out of class and did not want to be treated differently from the other learners. The college provided a supporter who could speak Welsh, sign and support numeracy needs. This allowed the learner to access all parts of the support course. The supporter worked closely with the course tutors and the learner’s personal tutor to plan learning. By the end of the year, the learner had gained the entry level 3 qualification.

Outcomes

The learner has overcome significant barriers to learning and has progressed to a construction course where he continues to receive support for his numeracy skills development. He is on target to attain level 1 application of number by the end of December and support is planned for him to attain level 2 by the end of the academic year in July.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context

St. Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School in Wrexham, educates a number of pupils from the local Gypsy Traveller community and is committed to ensuring these pupils achieve to the best of their ability.

Strategy

The school has put in place a number of strategies to support these pupils and evaluate the success that these initiatives had on pupils’ achievements and wellbeing.

Action

Staff used a range of data and other information, such as talking to pupils and their parents to identify the impact of the support strategies. Additional support included: a curriculum enrichment programme; joint provision with the local youth service; support from a traveller education service secondary teacher; links with the community to develop ‘street dance’; and a homework club.

Outcomes

The school found pupils are becoming more confident to move on to post-16 education. Exclusion rates have fallen as have reported incidents of bullying. Participation in extracurricular activities has increased.

Overall, levels of achievement are still low, but have improved through alternative curriculum provision and more pupils are attending into key stage 4.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to sector-leading practice

Headlands School is an independent special school, situated in a residential area of Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is part of the ‘Action for Children’ charity. The school provides day and residential placements for pupils with very challenging behaviour and emotional, social, and behavioural difficulties (ESBD). At the time of the last inspection in October 2012, the school had 48 pupils, aged between 8 and 19, of whom there were 42 boys and 6 girls. Five pupils were in key stage 2, 19 in key stage 3, 10 in key stage 4 and 14 in post-16.

Pupils are placed at the school by local authorities in Wales and England. Twelve pupils have termly residential places. Forty-seven pupils have a statement of special educational needs (SEN) and 15 pupils are looked after by their placing authority. All pupils have additional learning needs, which include attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). English is the predominant language of nearly all pupils. One pupil speaks Welsh as his first language at home.

The school aims to provide a nurturing environment and a broad and balanced curriculum to meet pupils’ individual learning and behavioural needs.

The school’s overall objective is to help pupils achieve their maximum potential and prepare them effectively to move on to the next stage in their lives.

Pupils enter Headlands School having previously experienced failure as learners. Due to the social and emotional skills required to cope with the pressures and demands of examination courses, pupils in this sector generally find it difficult to complete and achieve qualifications in line with their potential. Headlands staff believe that, given enough support, the pupils can achieve well and are entitled to do so. Over the last six years the school has placed particular emphasis on extending the opportunities for pupils to achieve appropriate qualifications. As a result, the school has created a culture where pupils expect to complete examination courses and gain awards. By creating a safe and secure base which values academic achievement, Headlands pupils become more effective learners. Pupils now know how, and expect to, succeed rather than how to fail.

Nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

We believe that for the pupils to be successful adults and lead fulfilled lives they will need to access further education, training or employment when they leave the school. In today’s world, this will mean they have to compete for places on courses and jobs against others who have been to schools that offer wide opportunities to gain qualifications. It is important that Headlands pupils receive at least a similar or better opportunities to gain the qualifications that they require to access the jobs, training and further education to which they aspire. To support this vision, the school has initiated a range of strategies.

• Nurturing the social and emotional skills that learners require in the classroom. This approach helps pupils to cope with the pressures and demands related to achieving qualifications.
• Providing a comprehensive range of opportunities and qualifications on the school site. The school expects all teachers to deliver external examination courses, and provides staff with the required support to achieve this aim.
• Establishing strong partnerships with local schools, colleges and education providers to extend the range of qualifications available. Through these partnerships, pupils achieve qualifications at A-level, on work-based learning programmes and vocational qualifications.
• Creating a positive culture around learning with a strong emphasis on celebrating examination success. The positive examination results many pupils achieve help to motivate and inspire other pupils to achieve similar success. This approach also reinforces teachers’ expectations for pupils to work hard and show commitment to their studies.
• Engaging pupils in discussions about their future aspirations. These discussions and teachers’ support and encouragement help motivate pupils to achieve the qualifications they need to access the next phase of learning or work.
• Continuing to modify and develop the examination courses available to pupils. The school provides staff with the support and resources they require to develop new courses and invest time in establishing new partnerships with external providers. This ensures our qualification framework remains flexible and can be adapted to meet the learning pathways of each particular cohort of pupils.

Impact on provision and learners’ standards

Pupils now have the opportunity to leave Headlands School with a wide range of qualifications relevant to their future aspirations. As a result, they are developing the skills to learn independently, are better prepared to move on to further education and training, and have the best possible opportunities to succeed in life.

In recent years, pupils have gained a wide range of qualifications and awards including AS level, GCSE, entry level, OCN, BTEC, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, WJEC Projects and Essential Skills Wales certificates.

Six years ago, pupils had access to only three GCSE and six entry level courses. In 2012, pupils at Headlands School achieved:
• a total of 61 GCSE passes in 10 subject areas, with around a third of these passes at grades B-D;
• four Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards;
• four Essential Skills Wales qualifications at level 2 in the application of number;
• ten WJEC project passes (2 at extended grade C and E, one at higher grade B, and seven at foundation grades A and B);
• two BTEC qualifications in hair and beauty at level 1, and a BTEC extended certificate in construction at level 2; and
• an NVQ in performing engineering operations at level 1.

These outcomes indicate clearly how improvements in the culture of learning and achieving culture at Headlands School have had a significant benefit on pupils.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to sector-leading practice

Portfield School provides education for pupils with statements of special educational needs aged between 3 and 19 years. Pupils’ needs include severe learning difficulty (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as various genetic disorders, sensory difficulties and challenging behaviours.

Portfield School has two satellite centres. One of these satellite centres is based in Tasker Milward Comprehensive School in Haverfordwest. The other centre at Y Porth in Ysgol Preseli, Crymych, offers Welsh-medium provision.

The particularly well-managed partnership working with two mainstream secondary schools and a local further education college enables the majority of pupils in key stage 3, key stage 4 and post-16 to learn for at least part of the week with their mainstream peers.

Portfield School’s upper school building is located on the same campus as Tasker Milward School, which is a large comprehensive school serving the Haverfordwest area. Initially, a small number of pupils were able to access inclusive learning opportunities at Tasker Milward. As a result of the success of this project, a discrete Portfield class was established in Tasker Milward School. This arrangement was gradually extended so that the majority of Portfield’s pupils had the opportunity to take part in inclusive learning activities at Tasker Milward.

In 2009, Portfield School, supported by the local authority, established a Welsh-medium satellite at Ysgol Preseli to meet the demand for Welsh-medium special school provision in the north of the county. From its inception, Y Porth took the opportunity to include the majority of its pupils in the life of Ysgol Preseli. Pupils share lessons, playtime and lunch time with their mainstream peers. The process is very much a ‘two-way street’ with some Preseli pupils accessing the additional learning needs provision offered by Y Porth.

The school obtained Welsh Government Additional Needs Development Project (ANDP) funding to expand provision. Students working at Entry Level 1 and above were able to experience taster courses at the local Pembrokeshire College of further education.

Since 2010, this funding has also provided an options day at the college for all 14 to19-year-olds at Portfield School and other local secondary schools. Pupils follow vocational and skills-based subjects, such as Shakespeare performing arts, art workshops including screen-printing and pottery, a fruit and vegetable co-operative, technic construction, and film and animation.

Nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

Pupils access courses leading to accredited qualifications, such as OCR, ASDAN, OCN and GCSE at an appropriate level to their assessed needs. They are prepared well for transition to college courses.
The aim of the inclusive courses was not only to promote the basic principles of inclusive practice but also, by utilizing resources more effectively, to give Portfield pupils access to courses that are difficult to provide within the Portfield setting. For example, pupils are able to follow GCSE courses in science and design technology.

The project also enabled “inward” inclusion into Portfield for pupils with additional learning needs from other secondary schools across Pembrokeshire. At Portfield, these pupils access specialist accredited courses at a level appropriate to their individual needs. Staff who accompany these pupils to Portfield benefit significantly in their professional development from working with Portfield staff and through access to their particular expertise and skills.

A recent development has been to extend these links to the taster courses and workshops at Coleg Sir Gar. This arrangement helps pupils to develop their interests and extend their aspirations for future careers and learning pathways.

Impact on provision and learners’ standards

The range of inclusion options has enriched pupils’ learning experiences significantly and helped them develop a much wider range of individual interests.

Through this partnership work:

  • all pupils have achieved a broad range of accreditation appropriate to their assessed level at both key stage 4 and post-16;
  • teacher assessments indicate that the participating pupils will attain GCSEs at Foundation Level; and
  • all post-16 pupils attending courses at Pembrokeshire College have achieved accreditation with OCN units in the relevant subject areas.

Overwhelmingly, the success of the partnership project lies in the social inclusion benefits experienced by both Portfield pupils and those from other partner schools. The positive impact of their inclusion helps these pupils gain greater self-confidence, become more independent and acquire a range of skills that prepares them well for life beyond school.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context

Bishop Hedley Catholic High School is an English-medium, mixed, 11-19 voluntary-aided school in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. There are currently 656 learners on roll. The school serves an area of economic disadvantage. Twenty-five per cent of learners are entitled to free school meals. This figure is above the national average of 17.1%.

Strategy

The assistant headteacher has co-ordinated a range of activities across all key stages to develop learners knowledge, skills and understanding of financial matters. Staff from a number of departments across the curriculum are involved in planning and delivering the financial education programme. Due to the location of the school in an area of economic disadvantage, staff at the school have for a long time placed great importance on developing this aspect of the curriculum.

Action

Through its personal and social education programme and by other means it has provided activities that include year assemblies with a focus on aspects of borrowing money, debt and savings as well as a number of enterprise activities.

To ensure that learners make good progress, the assistant headteacher has carefully mapped the activities to be undertaken and meets regularly with the teachers who deliver personal and social education.

Regular meetings make sure that teachers have access to the most recent resources, including guidance documents, and that they discuss with their learners the recent relevant developments in this area of the curriculum.

Outcomes

All learners have the opportunity to apply the skills they have developed and use their knowledge and understanding whilst participating in enterprise activities. Older learners take part in competitions with local schools. During these events, learners meet with local business people and develop their skills and understanding in real-life situations.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context

Penyrheol Comprehensive School in Swansea has four pupils from Occupational Traveller families. These families have parents who work on fairs around the country, during the summer season from around April until the October half term. As the pupils travel and work with their parents they miss a great deal of school. This has a significant impact on their academic attainment and their ability to re-integrate into school life after several months of absence. To help alleviate this problem, the school, in conjunction with Swansea traveller education service, ran a pilot project last year with a Year 7 pupil.

Strategy

The school considered a number of ways in which closer contact could be maintained with the pupil when his family were travelling. Possibilities were discussed with his parents before a final strategy was agreed.

Action

The pupil was provided with a laptop computer to take with him when his family were out of the area and his parents agreed to purchase a device to provide him with Wi-Fi internet access. The Year 7 pastoral assistant kept in regular contact with the boy and his family via email and ensured that work in all subjects was sent to him electronically, with deadlines for when this should be returned. This system worked very effectively.

Outcome

The pupil was also able to stay in regular electronic contact with his friends from school and his form tutor and this was invaluable in helping a smooth return after a long period of absence. It also enabled some continuity of education. Because of the successful impact of this pilot project on the pupil’s academic achievement and his social skills, the school intends to make similar provision for all its other pupils from Occupational Traveller families when work takes them away from the area in the summer of 2011.