14-19 Practitioner Newsletter

Welcome In This Issue...

To the third newsletter for 14-19 Practitioners. ♦ High Number of Oxbridge Places Offered One of the concerns amongst 14–19 practitioners has been the high profile given to the development of Diplomas which currently account for a tiny proportion of ♦ Car Crash Incident Day 14–19 activity. for Students

♦ Yr 10 BTEC Students Win At times it has seemed like the Diploma tail has been wagging the 14–19 National Competition curriculum dog. In some ways this has been inevitable because of the massive

amount of preparatory work needed if the new entitlement is to be made ♦ Bannatyne’s Brightsparks available for all young people in Darlington by 2013. ♦ Nacro and Skills 4 Me So you will see that this edition has little to say about Diplomas although it is Partnership good to see that Saks are playing an important part in the Hair and Beauty Diploma which starts this September. The news that 17 students from the town ♦ Saks and Hair and Beauty are heading towards Oxbridge is excellent and how pleasing to see that a significant number will be studying maths/science based degree courses. You ♦ Influencing the Future will also see that the Bannatyne Bright Sparks event – in which all of the town’s secondary schools (state and independent) participate – is now into its third year ♦ Aimhigher Law Trip and will take place at the Dolphin Centre on Monday 5th July. It was originally ♦ Bridge and Bike Club scheduled for the following day but we then discovered a possible clash. If

England win their group and reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in South ♦ Darlington College Gain Africa, then it would have clashed with our event. A lot of “ifs” there, but in Beacon Award these days of risk assessments we managed the risk out by trying to persuade Duncan Bannatyne to bring the event forward by one day. Fortunately he agreed. ♦ Connexions Success The rest is now down to England! ♦ 14-19 Pathways in We hope you find this edition of the 14–19 Practitioner Newsletter is interesting Engineering at Beaumont and informative. There is no doubt that 14–19 education in Darlington is vibrant Hill and healthy. There is also a great deal of excellent but unreported activity, so if you would like to bring any of it to our attention, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Issue 3 April 2010 David Heaton OBE © Darlington 14-19 Partnership Chair, Darlington 14–19 Partnership. High Number of Oxbridge Places Offered

Fourteen students studying at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College and three students studying at Carmel RC College have been offered places at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge this year.

Their places are conditional upon achieving the highest grades at A Level in this summer’s exams, but all are determined to do their utmost to secure their places.

10 students have been offered places at Cambridge:

Andrew Williamson (QE) – Geography Laura Williams (QE) – Law Laura Raine (QE) – Veterinary Science Michael Dyson (QE) – Maths Rachael Roberts (QE) – Architecture Adam Shield (QE) – Natural Sciences QE students with Oxbridge offers. Charlotte Pollock (QE) – Natural Sciences Sophie Madden (QE) – History Georgia van Raalte (QE) – Theology Heather Hind (Carmel) – English

The 7 students with Oxford places are:

Sam Hurst (QE) – Law Jonathan Coulthard (QE) – Physics Helen Robb (QE) – Politics, Philosophy and Economics Michael Parry (QE) – Physics Helen Greetham (QE) – Archaeology and Anthropology Tom Kent (Carmel) – Law Carmel students with Oxbridge offers. Jonathan Lumsden (Carmel) - Medicine

Simon Nicholson, who co-ordinates Oxbridge applications at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, explains:

“Competition for Oxbridge places is intense. Not only do students have to excel academically, they also have to undergo rigorous interviews to convince admissions tutors that they are worthy of a place.”

Lynn Hunter, Vice Principal of the Sixth Form at Carmel, confirms that this is indeed the case, adding that students work extremely hard to ensure that they achieve the grades and are well supported by experienced and dedicated staff.

Darlington Colleges provide excellent support for all their students, including those who are capable of reaching the country’s most prestigious universities.

2 Hard-Hitting Incident Day for Students

An Incident Day, planned around a drink driving car crash scenario, has been held for students in and Darlington.

The day, arranged by Durham Education Business Partnership and The Work Place in liaison with Durham Constabulary, Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, Victim Support, the Crown Prosecution Service, Magistrates in the Community, County Durham 4 Real Team and HealthTec, outlined the devastating consequences of drink driving and the way in which the emergency services work together in such circumstances.

Over 130 year 10 students from seven schools and colleges, including The Education Village, attended the event . The day focused on several aspects of a drink driving car accident, including the emotional, physical and financial costs, how the emergency services work together in the event of an accident and the devastating statistics of drink driving. The Accident & Emergency part of the day took place in the HealthTec room of The Work Place, a unique facility in the north east offering a simulated hospital environment and real ambulance where the attending paramedic discussed the transportation of injured patients, the A&E procedure and the number of professionals that could potentially be involved with a road traffic accident. The climax of the day involved students being cut out of a wrecked car. Feedback from students and teachers included the day being a ‘hard-hitting’ experience, with others confirming how thought provoking it had been both from a professional and personal point of view.

For more information about the activities provided by Durham Education Business Partnership and The Work Place, please contact Kirsty Coates on 01325 375 900.

Yr 10 BTEC Students Win National Competition

BTEC Hospitality and Catering students at Beaumont Hill School have been encouraged to continue their creative cooking after winning the National Cook For Life Challenge 2009.

The award is sponsored by Kenwood, who are dedicated supporters of healthy eating in schools. They were impressed by the imaginative way that seasonal British food was used to create a nutritious, well-balanced meal.

In recognition of this achievement the school has won an assortment of kitchenware which will undoubtedly be used to raise the already high standard that has been set.

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Bright Sparks Launched at Bannatyne Event

Student imaginations were lit today at the launch of the 2010 Bannatyne’s Bright Sparks Competition, held at The Work Place.

The competition, co-ordinated by Penny Hudson from Durham Education Business Partnership, is open to year 10 students from all secondary schools within the Darlington area and involves students using their entrepreneurial skills to develop a business idea in the form of either a product or service.

They are supported and assisted by business mentors from the Darlington area. Mentors involved with this year’s event come from companies which include HSBC, Darlington Building Society, Orange, TICA and Barclays Bank. Students also benefit from a presentation and media skills workshop in preparation for the final.

Teams will then put forward their business ideas and advertising campaign to a panel of judges, including Mr Bannatyne, in a Dragons’ Den style presentation at the Dolphin Centre in Darlington on 5 July 2010. The event is sponsored by Darlington Borough Council, with the prize money of £1000 being donated by Duncan Bannatyne.

Nacro and Skills 4 Me Support Disadvantaged Youth

Working in partnership with Connexions and the Youth Offending Service in Darlington, Nacro has seconded a member of staff, funded through the “Skills 4 Me” ESF project , to help disadvantaged young people across the town move on positively with their lives.

Liz O’Hern from Nacro and Steve Mathews from Connexions are working with Youth Offending Service staff to help young people prepare for and secure sustainable education, employment or training. Young people involved or at risk of becoming involved with the criminal justice system in Darlington will be further encouraged and supported to positively engage in accredited and non accredited activities and courses leading to increased confidence, self esteem and motivation. Whilst based in Gladstone Street, Liz and Steve will be mainly delivering the service for young people in the community.

If you would like to know more about Nacro, the leading crime reduction charity in England and Wales, visit our web site at www.nacro.org.uk or contact our regional office on 01642 615 554. The Youth Offending Service can be contacted on 01325 346 831. Connexions can be contacted on 01325 480 055.

4 Saks Produce Support Files for Hair & Beauty Diploma

Saks Education have now teamed up with Heinemann and VTCT to produce outstanding assessment and delivery files to support the 14-19 Hair and Beauty Diploma.

The files include a CD-Rom, all the principal learning units at levels 1, 2 and 3 and learning tools designed to get learners applying their knowledge to the hair and beauty industries. Each unit has been broken down and presented in learner-friendly manageable amounts, making the file easy and enjoyable for learners to use. Functional skills and personal, learning and thinking skills are embedded into each unit to ensure learners develop these essential skills.

Saks Education is one of the leading national training providers. In 2006 they were one of the few training providers to receive grade 1s across the board by OFSTED. They have been awarded Beacon status in recognition of their excellence and innovation in further education and to top it off they have recently won the Sapphire Award for top training scheme.

For more information contact Lisa Graham on 07843 061 274 or [email protected].

Influencing the Future Event

On February 24th, School & Language College hosted an ‘Influencing the Future’ event.

The purpose of the event was to give employers an insight into 14-19 developments and to determine how education providers and employers can support each other. Employers were able to talk to a number of providers who had stands at the event, including the National Apprenticeship Service, the Federation of Small Businesses, Darlington College, Durham Education Business Partnership, Darlington Borough Council’s Skills Training and Kaplan Financial Services. Students from Hummersknott were present to talk about a project they had undertaken for a local employer.

As a result of the event, some additional employers have been recruited to join the Employer Engagement group.

5 Darlington Pupils Feel the Long Arm of the Law

It was an open and shut case for Darlington pupils, who had the chance to experience a realistic enactment of a criminal court case and sentencing. And the verdict was... brilliant!

Giving up their Saturday, Year 11 pupils from St Aidan’s Academy and Longfield School made use of their school Aimhigher funding to take part in the ‘You, the Jury’ event at . They gained an insight into a court’s workings, watching evidence and witness testimonies and learning about a jury’s deliberation. They also found out about the judge’s sentencing guidelines and, to ensure an authentic experience, all characters were played by real barristers and judges. Pupils had the chance to question judges on their sentences and vote on the severity of the punishments given.

The event was a great opportunity for pupils to get a taste of what a career in law might involve. Barbara Parkin, Aimhigher Co-ordinator at Longfield School said, “This was a really positive experience for all the pupils. The courtroom surroundings were extremely realistic and gave a true feeling of what it would be like to be a barrister.” Paige Robinson is in Year 11 at Longfield - she felt the visit helped her make some decisions about her future. “I didn’t realise law was so interesting, I am definitely coming to Northumbria!”

The event was the result of collaboration between Northumbria Law School and Her Majesty’s Court Service. The Dean of the Law School, Professor Philip Plowden said, “This initiative is a wonderful opportunity for members of the public to witness the justice system in action. Bringing the criminal courts into higher education is an innovative approach to opening the workings of the courts to the wider public.”

For more information, contact Lucy Owens on 01642 738 538 or [email protected].

Bridge and Bike Club Partnership

The Bridge recently hosted a team meeting of the Great Britain Bike Club, who declared "If we had team meetings in Darlington every month I would never want to go anywhere else."

The Bridge will also be working in partnership with the Bike Club to offer more support to local primary schools. They have already worked with Firthmoor school, where students from The Bridge helped primary children with bike maintenance and riding skills. The Bridge run a bike workshop as part of their curriculum, though lack of space has meant it being shelved over the winter so that the construction group could shelter from the cold!

6 Darlington College Gains Beacon Award

Darlington College has been awarded the coveted Beacon Status, national recognition for its outstanding teaching, learning and support.

Just eight per cent of the country’s 1,600 FE colleges enjoy Beacon Status, which allows them to work tirelessly to improve management and educational standards across the nation. Its new status means that Darlington College can expect to be visited by a host of organisations from all over the country to share best practice.

Principal Tim Grant took a delegation of students, governors and staff to a special ceremony in Westminster, London, at which the college was officially made a National Beacon College for Further Education. He said: “Whilst this recognition has come about because of last year’s outstanding Ofsted report, more importantly it acknowledges the excellent work carried out behind the scenes every day. Everyone at the college plays a vital role in its success and development.”

Connexions Success Case Study

Personal Adviser (PA) Janice Chapman reports on a recent success of providing IAG.

“A young person on my case load contacted me for help with some funding towards an apprenticeship in Joinery that his father was offering him. His father had recently set up a new business and was unable to pay a full apprenticeship wage of £95.

I contacted several training providers and was given the name of a company who had a new initiative and were offering £50 to employers towards wages of an apprentice. I invited the client’s father into Connexions to discuss appropriate training provision and the organisation involved in offering the money. If he agreed we could set up a meeting with the organisation that was offering the funding.

I took the client to the training provider for a look at their facilities and to discuss how they could support my client through an apprenticeship. My client attended an assessment week in December with the training provider and will spend a short time on maths and English and then start to work towards an apprenticeship with his dad in January/February for a level 2 qualification in joinery.

The young person is now 18 and had not done any training since leaving school. He had been on a college course but left after a few months. He became estranged from his parents and was living in the YMCA. The young person left the area for a few months and on his return made it up with his parents. He was claiming benefit at the Job Centre when he called to see me. He checked out several vacancies and then came back a few weeks later. Circumstances had changed and his dad was offering him an apprenticeship if they could secure funding.

This has been a very positive outcome for the young person involved.”

7 14-19 Pathways in Engineering at Beaumont Hill

Beaumont Hill pupils have been taking part in Engineering courses for a number of years, initially as “taster” sessions at Darlington College and since 2006 following a BTEC Introductory Certificate in Engineering.

A great deal of success has been achieved on the BTEC course, with pupils statemented for Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) and mainstream pupils on a personalised timetable. This year the range of provision has been widened to include some pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and more ASD pupils. These pupils are accredited through the National Skills Profile (NSP) awards scheme in manufacturing. They have been joining their peers on weekly visits to South West Durham Training, who are a local training provider for the engineering industry.

There are numerous benefits gained by these pupils being included: ♦ They are able to spend time working alongside their more able peers, who are in many cases good role models. All pupils gain a greater understanding of their peers and have their self esteem boosted by being able to act in a supportive role. ♦ They get the opportunity to spend time in a more “grown up” vocational setting and this has had a very positive effect on them, socially as well as academically. ♦ The contact with the training centre staff has been stimulating, as these are people they haven’t met before whose approach is often very different to the teachers they’re used to. The training centre staff have also benefited from working with pupils with differing needs and have made use of CPD opportunities provided by the school. ♦ The type of work is different to anything that they’ve experienced in school and they’ve taken a great deal of pride in being able to use all the workshop machinery and show the pictures of themselves using it to their teachers and classmates. ♦ The finished product is a very impressive model bridge that has proudly been shown around the school by all the pupils who have taken part.

The Engineering offer now includes many pupils who may not in the past have had the opportunity to access many vocational subjects. Our aim now is to extend provision to a point where all pupils get some opportunity to take part in these subjects at an appropriate level.

Next Issue

The next issue of the 14-19 Practitioner Newsletter will be available in September 2010. If you have anything you would like featured in the next issue, please send text (and photos if you have them) to [email protected] by 5 August 2010.

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