The Educator Magazine U.K. Sept-Dec 2022 - Magazine - Page 12
Elise Temple | Director of Education
The brilliant work that Nacro does in the Further
Education and Skills sector is one of the many
reasons I decided to join the charity as Principal
and Director of Education and Skills earlier this
year. I’ve always been passionate about working
collaboratively and in innovate ways to address
the disadvantage gap, and about finding ways
to support young people to develop and progress
when traditional mainstream education settings
are just not the right option. The opportunity then
to be part of an alternative route through our
work as an Independent Training Provider (ITP)
whilst working alongside learners to influence
national education policy decisions through our
campaign work is unique, and one that I am very
proud to be a part of.
Nacro’s specific advantage is that it is geared
up to support learners with a range of complex
and diverse needs and who, often have
struggled previously in school or college. Most
of our learners face at least one educational
disadvantage; be that a learning difficulty or
disability, being in receipt of free school meals
or having current experience of mental health
issues that have detrimentally impacted their
participation in learning to date. So that we are
optimally positioned to identify those young
people that would benefit from our education
programmes, we have developed strong local
partnerships with schools, colleges, local
authorities and careers hubs and we work closely
with these agencies to learn about and welcome
new learners to our education centres.
We recognise that accessing learning can be a
daunting prospect for some, our induction process
begins well before learners commence their
learning programme at the centre. Our highly
experienced and qualified teachers and support
staff develop an individualised plan for each
learner which is likely to involve telephone calls
and meetings with parents, guardians, carers and
representatives from linked support services. We
take the time to really get to know each learner,
their aspirations, their concerns and their prior
experiences and we use this to ensure that we
plan a transition that works best for them and
that maximises their potential to engage with and
remain in learning.
Building from this point, our staff continue to
work collaboratively with learners and their
representatives to develop a programme of
learning that enables them to progress towards
their intended destination. Our Study Programme
offer brings together the opportunity to develop
knowledge and skills related to a specific
vocational or technical pathway of interest
whilst also ensuring great emphasis on personal
development that equips learners with the
behaviours and softer skills that they need to
succeed.
In many cases, learners arrive without the key
English and mathematics achievements that
they need to progress and so learning in these
areas are an integral aspect of Nacro’s delivery.
We offer both Functional Skills from Entry Level
through to Level 2 as well as GCSEs and we
undertake detailed initial assessments with each
learner to identify the most appropriate route for
them. Our English and mathematics delivery really
seeks to break down barriers, bust myths and be
accessible for the young people in our classrooms
and with this in mind, we actively seek to develop
and innovate in this area year on year. This year
saw our most successful GCSE results day in an
exam year!
In our approach to planning, we are aware that
our learners are not always digitally enabled.
Around half don’t have access to their own
laptop, more than a fifth don’t have access to
a smartphone and a tenth don’t have Wi-Fi or
data connectivity at home. These proportions are
considerably above the national average and are
why we provided all our students in need with
laptops and data cards to enable remote learning
during the pandemic.
We are very clear that despite its importance,
academic achievement is only a part of what we
do. As an ITP we see that our learners are the
workforce of tomorrow whatever their pathway
and we actively promote the need to develop their
understanding of the world of work. As such, every
learner can participate in work experience and
to encounter employers through talks, meetings,
demonstrations and exhibitions, for example.
A recent innovation in this aspect of our work
involved the development of interactive software
that supported students to develop their interview
skills which we conducted in partnership with
tech company A-Dapt. The technology used AI
to explore body language, facial expressions and
mannerisms in an interview environment.
Our aim as an ITP is that our learners leave us
better equipped and enabled to be successful
in their chosen next steps and this is what our
destination analysis reveals that we consistently
achieve for the overwhelming majority. We help
each learner as an individual to succeed both
within our programmes and in the wider world.