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		A Life Skills programme concentrating on life beyond school.


CLICK for the students' view		THE SCHOOL Beacon Hill School in Ipswich is for pupils who have moderate learning difficulties. Many of them also have Autistic Spectrum Disorders because the school has specialised in helping such students The Suffolk Outreach Service, which advises teachers in mainstream school on how to help autistic pupils, shares the same site as the school. Other Beacon Hill students may have Downs Syndrome or William Syndrome, or emotional and behavioural disorders. The school's 156 pupil's come from southern Suffolk and range from 5 to 16 years of age. There is a one-form entry in the primary department, but at Year 7 the school swells to two-forms as pupils from mainstream primary schools join the school. The school has become very skilful in finding creative ways to help students learn, and makes the fullest possible use of visual, active and practical ways of learning. There are close links with parents, and a multi-disciplinary team of staff work within the school, including occupational therapists and medical clinicians. On leaving school, many students continue on to college and some subsequently enter employment. THE INNOVATION The school has introduced a new curriculum for Year 10 and 11 students in the form of a two-year Life Skills programme. It is a departure from the traditional curriculum which concentrates on National Curriculum subjects and Entry Level awards. The Life Skills programme focuses on life outside school. It deals with practical tasks such as getting on a bus, going to the doctor's, making different sorts of journeys, handling money, and understanding what is involved in attending college. The course puts great emphasis on being practical. The students do not sit in the classroom and discuss life outside school: they go outside and into the community to learn. They go into town and practise crossing roads. They visit different types of shops. They go to a post office. They go to a restaurant to learn how people behave in a restaurant. They visit the local leisure centre to learn what public leisure facilities there are and how to join and make use of them.

See the appendices in the full report for more detailed information on Beacon Hill's Life Skills programme (PDF file, 853 KB) .


return to top of page		The programme deals with the very practical problems the students will face in everyday adult life. They will find appointments difficult if they have little awareness of time. They may find strangers accost them angrily if they have not understood notices such as “Do not walk on the grass”. They try to learn how to respond to people who try to engage them in conversation. Not all of the programme is conducted outside school. Many practical tasks are studied in the school: preparing food for example. But even here, the students would first go to the shops to buy the food and practise getting on and off buses.
return to top of page		ORIGINS The new course was introduced in September 2004. It was the culmination of several years' research and experimentation. The school first established a 14-19 Working Party and ran a pilot programme with six students. The school consulted parents. It asked them what they most wanted their children to focus on during their last two years at school. The parents all said that what they most wanted was for their children to become as independent as possible, and to develop their skills in communication and problem-solving. Wendy Crockett, the Deputy Head who led the planning for the new course, looked at life skills programmes in other schools and the range of life skills awards offered by different awarding bodies. She consulted the college that many of the school's students entered at 16 to ensure that the school's programme would not duplicate the college's life skills courses.
return to top of page		IN DETAIL The Life Skills programme occupies two full days a week in Years 10 and 11. It is accredited by the ASDAN Life Skills Entry Level Award, which comprises five units: • Citizenship (which includes, for example, Decision-Making, Developing Good Relationships and Resolving Conflict) • Community (which includes, for example, Travelling Around, Using Leisure Facilities) • Home Management (which includes, for example, Preparing Meals, Cleaning the Home) • Personal Care (which includes, for example, Health and Fitness, Personal Hygiene) • Preparation for Working Life (which includes, for example, Finding Out About Work, Health and Safety) The award is externally assessed and accredited by ASDAN. Further details of the units and their assessment are provided in Appendix 1 of the full report. The school's Life Skills programme is provided in collaboration with Suffolk County Council's Community Education Department and Suffolk and Otley Colleges . The programme's scheme of work is set out in Appendix 2 of the full report. All the Beacon Hill pupils achieve Entry Level awards in Design and Technology, Food Technology and Science. The majority also achieve Entry Level award in ICT, English, Mathematics and Art and Design. Many also achieve the Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award and the Junior Sports Leader Award.
return to top of page		ISSUES PARENTS Parents were consulted on the introduction of the alternative curriculum by means of a questionnaire survey and discussions at parents' evenings. A parents' booklet sets out the aims of the programme and provides detailed information. Parents have been enthusiastic in their support for the new programme. TIMETABLE AND CURRICULUM Significant changes were required to the school timetable, since the alternative curriculum occupies all of Tuesday and Wednesday each week. An important principle for the school is that the Life Skills programme must not result in any reduction in the students' level of achievement in their other subjects. The school tries to use the Life Skills programme as a vehicle for developing skills and knowledge needed in the National Curriculum and the other statutory subjects. The most successful subjects for this purpose have been PSHE, citizenship, work-related learning and careers education. STAFF DEVELOPMENT Staff attended the compulsory one-day ASDAN course in London in order for the school to offer the award, but what the staff found particularly helpful was the link with Thomas Wolsey school. Thomas Wolsey colleagues were able to share their experience of running the ASDAN course and could offer practical advice on matters such as what coursework to include in the students' portfolios. RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS The programme involves significant costs, especially for trips out of school and shopping expeditions.
return to top of page		ADVICE TO COLLEAGUES IN OTHER SCHOOLS Beacon Hill School 's recommendation to colleagues in other schools considering introducing a life skills programme is that they should first visit other schools to see such a programme in action. CONTACT DETAILS Wendy Crockett, Deputy Headteacher 01473 601175 wendy.crockett@ntlworld.com