working with secondary schools

Wo r k i n g w i t h

S e c o n d a r yS c h o o l st o c re a t e l a s t i n g c h a n g e

The recent raising of the participation age wil l mean that schools and colleges wil l need to f ind new ways of tackling the same old issues within a context of reduced funding. Let us help you encourage achievement and progression in your pupils by making learning exciting, engaging and enriching via our personalised learning programmes.

We know that some young people need an approach which is more appropriate to their needs. We understand your needs, drivers and resource pressures. What we can offer are tai lor-made programmes to meet the needs of your pupils, which also provide value for money.

We can offer you:• a programme that wil l both meet

your needs and price l imit• delivery by experienced and

qualif ied trainers• staff with experience of motivating

and enthusing young people who may be struggling in a normal school environment

• over 30 years of experience of working at a local level addressing local needs

• Programmes of accredited training • a sustainable approach to

delivering local solutions • a sound track record of working

with partners.

We b e l i e v e i n t h e p o t e n t i a l o f a l l y o u n g p e o p l e a n d a re p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t h e l p i n g s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l s h a r n e s s t h e e n e r g i e s o f t h e i r p u p i l s a n d c re a t e l a s t i n g c h a n g e .

Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale2

Partner: “The young people… have shown commitment and excellent teamwork. With the support and encouragement from Groundwork there has been a visible improvement of the young people; in their behaviour, confidence and loyalty to the project.”

We can offer your young people an alternative approach to education which is both stimulating and engaging, al lowing your pupils to achieve qualif ications and to grow and develop in a way which is more appropriate to their needs. These bespoke programmes wil l contribute positively to your school performance and deliver improved motivation, attendance, confidence and self-esteem. Our programmes to date have demonstrated an improvement in progression for the young people with whom we have worked as well as reduced staff stress levels. As a third sector organisation, we can also attract other funding, adding value to your investment.

This brochure provides you only with a taste of what we can offer in the fol lowing areas: • ages 11 to 16 (p4)• ages 16 to 18 (p6)• schools and grounds (p8)• track record & Case Studies (p10).

Please read on and get in touch if you’d l ike to f ind out more. If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, please ask as we’re keen to provide what you are seeking. Our key focus is to help you make a difference and bring about lasting change.

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L a s t i n g c h a n g e f o r y o u n g p e o p l e a g e d :

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Young person: “The course gives me something good to do and a path to move onto after school.”

We bring about positive change through the provision of personal development programmes to:• prepare young people for further

education, employment or training• re-engage young people into school• reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB) and

risk-taking behaviour etc.

Our objectives al ign with wider school requirements, such as Intervention Panels, annual reports, Common Assessment Frameworks and Troubled Famil ies. Our staff wil l provide you with regular feedback and an evidence base for attendance, achievement and progression.

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Turn to page 10 and 11 to read case studies of our work.

P e r s o n a l i s e d L e a r n i n gA sample of what we offer

Bespoke alternative curriculum programmes.

Full academic year accredited qualif ications.

Short and medium length targeted interventions (e.g. ASB, pre-CSE, bullying etc).

Non-accredited Skil ls for Working Life with learning aims connected to confidence, personal planning, team building, resil ience, healthy l i festyles budgeting and positive relationships.

Work experience and enrichment.

Special ist environmental education (workshops l inked to the curriculum on subjects such as sustainabil ity, recycling, food growing).

Community projects - l inking the curriculum to the local community.


L a s t i n g c h a n g e f o r y o u n g p e o p l e a g e d :

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C o m m u n i t y Vo l u n t e e r i n g

Accredited and non-accredited programmes are included in our portfol io for 16 to 18 year olds. These reflect the emerging needs of schools, such as funding changes, the raising of the participation age and the need to ensure young people at risk of becoming NEET are supported with the preparation for employment, further education or training.

Delivered within the school or from one of our bases or nature sites, the nationally recognised qualif ications currently offered from Level 1 to Level 3 are l isted on page 7. Key transferable skil ls are embedded within al l programmes to enrich the offer and ensure progression and achievement.

Volunteering opportunities form a key part of our work and engage young people in positive and meaningful activit ies which support the guided learning hours (GLH) leading to Level 1 to Level 3 qualif ications.

Young people benefitt ing from these programmes wil l develop their practical skil ls alongside employabil ity skil ls such as project management, health and safety awareness and an understanding of equality and diversity.

Young person: “I gained many qualif ications that helped me to get the job that I’ve always wanted. Thank you Groundwork!”



A c c re d i t e d Tr a i n i n g

Young person: “Groundwork is a place of learning, personal development and training. It helps you to recognise your personal qualit ies and how to exploit them for success.”

Groundwork Prince’s Trust Team ProgrammeA life-changing 13 week personal development course for young people aged 16 to 25.

Practical Countryside Skills CourseParticipants learn a range of conservation skil ls on a local nature site and gain a qualif ication.

Community Action TeamsTeam members are involved in community development, physical improvement work and environmental activit ies.

Work Skills CourseA four-day short course teaching tips and tricks to improve your CV and succeed at interviews.

Employability Skills CourseA three-week course helping you to refine your CV and gain generic skil ls valued by employers.

Building Craft Occupations CourseThis 12-week course teaches the basics in a wide range of construction trades and includes site experience and a CSCS card.

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L a s t i n g c h a n g e f o r :

s c h o o l s & g ro u n d s


Head teacher: “We are absolutely delighted with the newly designed area at our school. Staff, pupils and the wider community can now enjoy greater access to our school grounds and pupils wil l really benefit”

Let us work with you to improve the environment in which your pupils learn, add value to your curriculum and reduce your carbon footprint.

We can help you to:

save money and protect the environment by reducing your carbon footprint and raising environmental awareness with both pupils and staff members

implement an environmental training programme and conduct a resource eff iciency and sustainabil ity review

develop as an Eco School or Forest School

develop new and exciting outdoor spaces and recreational areas to make the most of your school grounds as valuable learning and social spaces

work with pupils, parents and partners to deliver a landscape design which meets your brief

develop a volunteer programme

embed learning into your new school grounds

offer a range of skil ls and training programmes for staff, pupils and volunteers.

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Our aim is to change places and change l ives through a range of innovative services often with an environmental or sustainabil ity focus.

We can lever in additional funding.

We are a local charity and can provide you with a range of wider l inks to your community.

We provide services that support you to meet your statutory responsibil it ies.

We provide services which comply with health & safety legislation, school procedures and best practice.

We are committed to provide the best value services through partnership working.

We can bring experience, skil ls and knowledge.

We would be happy to put you in touch with schools across Oldham and Rochdale where we have worked in partnership. We feel confident that they would tel l you that Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale has a good track record and reputation.

O u r t r a c k r e c o rd

Case Study

A c c re d i t e d t r a i n i n g f o r p u p i l sBuilding on an existing relationship, Royton & Crompton School in Oldham asked us to provide an accredited training programme for a group of pupils. Weekly sessions were held at Groundwork and pupils completed units of the Edexcel BTEC Level 2 certif icate in Work Skil ls.

For the ‘Working in a Team’ unit the young people had to work in teams to plan and deliver a presentation on bullying for Anti-bullying Week. The learners researched information over a number of weeks in preparation for their presentation. This included video clips, factual information, PowerPoint, and practical tasks. The learners gained different skil ls from delivering the presentation as well as important evidence for their portfol ios.

The group also completed units focussed around an enterprise activity. An ‘Easter Bunday’ fundraising activity was planned and delivered by the young people. Pupils created spread sheets to show costs for producing and sell ing the product, and a plan for marketing and sell ing their product.

The pupils have really enjoyed attending Groundwork. The young people have had good attendance at the Groundwork sessions and have always been on time. The enterprise activity was the most popular with this group and some even asked if they could do another enterprise activity day. The learners completed four units total l ing 6 credits (60 guided learning hours) of the Edexcel BTEC Level 2 certif icate in Work Skil ls.


Case Study

B e h a v i o u r, l e a r n i n g a n d s k i l l sWe were asked to develop a programme of weekly sessions to engage pupils from Kingsland School in Oldham. Staff at the school were keen to see a programme that would teach transferable skil ls, providing pupils with knowledge, advice and information, and improving their behaviour.

The pupils attended sessions at Groundwork every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. We provided a non-accredited training programme, covering different topics such as team building, drug and alcohol awareness, health and wellbeing, independent l iving and relationships.

Each participant received basic First Aid training and subsequently went on to design posters during PSHE at school and have created a board in the main hall at Kingsland School on how to save a person’s l i fe. As part of a team-building exercise, the young people visited Boarshaw Clough nature site in Middleton to go orienteering and also attended gym sessions. The pupils also completed an enterprise activity – planning and fundraising through sell ing ice creams and smoothies.

Positive feedback was received from both pupils and staff at Kingsland School. The young people really enjoyed the team building tasks as well as the enterprise activity. One of the young people who was on half days wanted to stay in school so that he could attend Groundwork in the afternoon. The pupil’s behaviour has noticeably improved.

Case Study

G ro u n d s f o r s o c i a l l e a r n i n gOldham Sixth Form College approached us for help in developing a tired-looking and underused area of their college premises. The outdoor space was enclosed by buildings on all sides but presented an excellent opportunity for creating a new area for social ising at the heart of the college.

Working to the college’s specif ication, Groundwork supplied and installed bespoke timber benches, instal led a new drainage system and landscaped the space with new flagging. To minimise disruption, the work was carried out over a two-week period during the 2012 summer holidays.

Due to the site restrictions, materials and machinery had to be carefully transported through the college building. Our contracts staff uti l ised special ist protective coatings for the floors whilst manually transporting over 8 tonnes of materials to the site.

The finished area is now used as an outdoor space for relaxing and social ising by both students and staff. The materials used and the design of the benches fit into the existing college environment and the feedback we received indicated that the college were very happy with the quality of the work undertaken.


A b o u t u s . . .Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale helps people and organisations make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, to build skills and job prospects, and to live and work in a greener way. We’re a registered charity with 30 years of experience working with partners to deliver successful projects in the Oldham and Rochdale area.

Visit us online at www.gwor.org.uk

Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale, Environment Centre, Shaw Road, Higginshaw, Oldham OL1 4AW

Charity number: 514726 | Company number: 01762088

C o n t a c t u s . . .Contact Liane Kirk to f ind out more information on how Groundwork can support your current and future needs.

T: 0161 624 1444E: [email protected]

working with secondary schools

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