Intent
Our intent is for students to develop transferable skills, which will be enable them to become more independent with everyday tasks, and for the students to learn and develop new skills, which could also aid them in gaining employment.
Did you know;
‘Only 6% of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority in England are in paid work’ (NHS Digital 2018)
It is it is our vision at CANTO Learning that by accessing the Work Centre we are giving our students the opportunity to gain and develop essential skills which they then can then use when they progress onto external work placements.
Some of skills we focus on developing in the Work Centre are:
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Self-management
- Collaborative working
- Numeracy skills
- Digital skills
- Planning
- Estimating
- Resilience
- Drive
- Reflecting
- Confidence
Implementation
Initially when the students start accessing the Work Centre, they work on developing a basic understanding of Health and Safety. We try to relate this to everyday situations at home and within the community but also focus on the safe use of tools and equipment with a big overview that, Health and Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and we need to ensure we keep everyone safe.
Following on from that, we use reclaimed pallets and sheet wood this allowing the students to make items. These range from something small and as simple such as a set of coasters, all the way up to picnic benches and storage systems. As part of the bigger picture at CANTO Learning we allow students to be involved in projects that we sell to the public. As well as physically making the items, students will be involved in costings and the advertisement process of selling. All profits are reimbursed back into the work centre to buy new tools.
It is during this process that using available resources such as the ‘Problem Solving Wheel’ and embedded British Values the students develop the skills previously listed.
The students are assessed regularly throughout their time with us. This is done via informal questioning allowing students to identify, reflect and explain what they have done so far and why. We also assess the practical tasks which they have taken part in, such as their drawings/plans, how they worked to achieve the finished product and the finished product itself. With regards to EHCP targets these are worked on via the students ILP folder that they bring to all lessons.
Impact
There is no pressure for the students to become expert carpenters, but we want them to be proud of what they do and for them to of had the opportunity to learn and develop transferable skills, regardless of what they have made and the input they have had with their teams. Although this subject is not assessed giving a qualification, the skills that have been further developed support our students during their work experience programme.
