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THE SCHOOL

The Ashley School in Lowestoft is a day and residential school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. It has 125 pupils aged 7 to 16 who come from north Suffolk . About 40 of the pupils benefit from access to resources and support for longer than the school day, so some of them stay until 8:00 pm in the evening and some stay overnight at the school for two or four nights a week.

THE INNOVATION

In partnership with the neighbouring high school, the Denes High School Business and Enterprise College , the Ashley School has created a programme to help their students deal with the practicalities of life after leaving school. It is called the Vocational and Recreational Studies (VRS) programme and it is for Year 10 and 11 students. The programme has 30 students in each year group: 20 from Ashley (the whole of Ashley's year group) and 10 from the Denes School . Most of the Denes students have SEN statements and some curricular needs in common with the Ashley students.

The programme occupies one day a week and is provided by the two schools and three local training providers: YMCA Training, Lowestoft College of FE and Breakout. There are two key elements to the programme.

The vocational element is intended to improve the students' prospects of entering training and employment after leaving school. It includes taster courses in construction, horticulture and social care and a series of practical workshop sessions in carpentry, jewellery-making, fabrication and engineering, in addition to individually tailored and supported work experience placements. There are also opportunities for voluntary work which can sometimes provide school-leavers with a stepping stone to paid work. The programme also includes some skills relevant to both employment and home life: courses in food hygiene, health and safety, and first aid.

Roger Milton, Pastoral and Learning
Manager for Key Stage 4: "Some
students return to the school after 16 to
continue working towards their Gold
Duke of Edinburgh award."

ORIGINS

The VRS programme has been developed over the past five years. The school initiated the programme partly because it wanted to improve curriculum flexibility and inclusion, but particularly because of findings from the school's own research. In a research exercise funded by the LEA and carried out in collaboration with Connexions, ex-pupils who had left the school in 1996 were asked about the nature of the lives after leaving school. The research showed that the quality of their lives depended very much on the extent to which they were involved in the local community, especially since many of them were not in employment or training and therefore had significant amounts of leisure time. The school wanted to create a programme for its Year 10 and 11 students which took account of this finding and prepared them for the circumstances they were likely to experience on leaving school.

The school was also aware other developments which supported such an initiative: Government policies such as those articulated in the Government's Strategy Statement for SEN, Removing Barriers to Achievement ( DfES 2004, reference DfES/0117/2004) the encouragement from Government for schools to work together in partnership, the “Increased Flexibility” developments in mainstream schools and the debates surrounding the Tomlinson Review.

ISSUES

Some staff development was required to equip staff to teach particular qualifications. In order to teach the CIEH qualifications in Food Hygiene and Health and Safety in the Workplace, one teacher had to attend a CIEH course at a local FE college for one day a week over 5 or 6 weeks. The work experience element of the VRS programme involved training provided by Suffolk County Council. The outdoor element of the programme which included activities such as rock-climbing and canoeing required qualified staff, although in this case the teacher in question was already well-qualified.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

From September 2005, the programme is to be extended to include additional organisations. It will include three high schools and another special school. Using the experience of this programme, the Ashley School is leading a new project, working in partnership with the three other high schools and Lowestoft College of Further Education. The Goals Project will deliver an increased number of accredited vocational courses to youngsters with learning disabilities. Each establishment is delivering a pathway based on its own specialism: ICT, retail, sport and leisure, catering, and construction. These are all accredited by the BTEC Skills for Working Life qualification.

CONTACT DETAILS

David Field, Headteacher.
Roger Milton, Pastoral and Learning Manager for Key Stage 4.

01502 574847

		A special school and a mainstream school collaborate to produce a Vocational and Recreational Studies programme to help their special needs students integrate more fully into the community when they leave school.


CLICK for the students' view		THE SCHOOL The Ashley School in Lowestoft is a day and residential school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. It has 125 pupils aged 7 to 16 who come from north Suffolk . About 40 of the pupils benefit from access to resources and support for longer than the school day, so some of them stay until 8:00 pm in the evening and some stay overnight at the school for two or four nights a week. THE INNOVATION In partnership with the neighbouring high school, the Denes High School Business and Enterprise College , the Ashley School has created a programme to help their students deal with the practicalities of life after leaving school. It is called the Vocational and Recreational Studies (VRS) programme and it is for Year 10 and 11 students. The programme has 30 students in each year group: 20 from Ashley (the whole of Ashley's year group) and 10 from the Denes School . Most of the Denes students have SEN statements and some curricular needs in common with the Ashley students. The programme occupies one day a week and is provided by the two schools and three local training providers: YMCA Training, Lowestoft College of FE and Breakout. There are two key elements to the programme. The vocational element is intended to improve the students' prospects of entering training and employment after leaving school. It includes taster courses in construction, horticulture and social care and a series of practical workshop sessions in carpentry, jewellery-making, fabrication and engineering, in addition to individually tailored and supported work experience placements. There are also opportunities for voluntary work which can sometimes provide school-leavers with a stepping stone to paid work. The programme also includes some skills relevant to both employment and home life: courses in food hygiene, health and safety, and first aid.

Roger Milton, Pastoral and Learning Manager for Key Stage 4: "Some students return to the school after 16 to continue working towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh award."
return to top of page
return to top of page		The recreational element introduces the students to some of the recreational opportunities which may be available to them in adult life. Many of the students will have difficulties in finding employment, so they are likely to have time on the hands and need to know how they can make positive and satisfying use of their time. The programme includes canoeing, orienteering, rock-climbing and fishing, but it particularly tries to show the young people how they can access recreational opportunities. They visit a local sports centre, youth clubs and library and are shown what these places can offer them and how to join and become involved in the activities. They are introduced to community sources of support such as the Citizens' Advice Bureau, the Family Planning Clinic, the Connexions office and the Job Centre. The students visit local youth clubs to see what opportunities they may provide for social contact. Wherever possible, the VRS programme leads to qualifications and awards to recognise the students' achievements. These include CIEH( The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, www.cieh.org) Certificates in Food Hygiene and Health and Safety in the Workplace, and the St John's Ambulance Young Life-Saver's Award. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is used to accredit the programme overall. All the programme's students are enrolled on it, and 80% achieve the Silver award. Some return to the school after 16 to continue working towards the Gold award.
return to top of page		ORIGINS The VRS programme has been developed over the past five years. The school initiated the programme partly because it wanted to improve curriculum flexibility and inclusion, but particularly because of findings from the school's own research. In a research exercise funded by the LEA and carried out in collaboration with Connexions, ex-pupils who had left the school in 1996 were asked about the nature of the lives after leaving school. The research showed that the quality of their lives depended very much on the extent to which they were involved in the local community, especially since many of them were not in employment or training and therefore had significant amounts of leisure time. The school wanted to create a programme for its Year 10 and 11 students which took account of this finding and prepared them for the circumstances they were likely to experience on leaving school. The school was also aware other developments which supported such an initiative: Government policies such as those articulated in the Government's Strategy Statement for SEN, Removing Barriers to Achievement ( DfES 2004, reference DfES/0117/2004) the encouragement from Government for schools to work together in partnership, the “Increased Flexibility” developments in mainstream schools and the debates surrounding the Tomlinson Review.
return to top of page		ISSUES Some staff development was required to equip staff to teach particular qualifications. In order to teach the CIEH qualifications in Food Hygiene and Health and Safety in the Workplace, one teacher had to attend a CIEH course at a local FE college for one day a week over 5 or 6 weeks. The work experience element of the VRS programme involved training provided by Suffolk County Council. The outdoor element of the programme which included activities such as rock-climbing and canoeing required qualified staff, although in this case the teacher in question was already well-qualified. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS From September 2005, the programme is to be extended to include additional organisations. It will include three high schools and another special school. Using the experience of this programme, the Ashley School is leading a new project, working in partnership with the three other high schools and Lowestoft College of Further Education. The Goals Project will deliver an increased number of accredited vocational courses to youngsters with learning disabilities. Each establishment is delivering a pathway based on its own specialism: ICT, retail, sport and leisure, catering, and construction. These are all accredited by the BTEC Skills for Working Life qualification. CONTACT DETAILS David Field, Headteacher. Roger Milton, Pastoral and Learning Manager for Key Stage 4. 01502 574847 www.ashley.suffolk.sch.uk


Angela Vernon, Horticultural Studies teacher
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