Alternative Provision

Brandles School TASK Community Projects

Togetherness, Achieves, Social, Knowledge

In partnership with ELSA, CIC, TAPPS Garden Centre, Turn the Tide, Fire & Rescue Service and Hertfordshire Police

Brandles TASK Community Projects offer students the opportunity to be part of various programmes such as fundraising, interactive and practical projects that help benefit the local community. The hope is all students will work towards ASDAN CoPE or BTEC qualifications and have the opportunity to learn new skills and feel part of the community.

The Aims:We offer Brandles students the opportunity to learn new skills that enhances their self-esteem, confidence, social skills, as well as gaining positive memories and building meaningful relationships. We provide a varied curriculum tailored to meet the boys’ complex needs, as many of our students have already experienced multiple school settings prior to arriving at Brandles, so it is vital we break down and unlock the barriers to education, so that all students can flourish and function safely at Brandles and in the wider community.

Outcomes:To gain an ASDAN CoPE or BTEC qualification and for all students to have fun and feel a sense of achievement, that will provide a positive platform to support them within the main school and raise their attendance and participation in lessons.The TASK projects will allow all the students to build upon their social and independence skills, and see the positives in supporting their local communities and achieving something worthwhile for others and themselves.They will learn to work with others, improve their own learning and performance, problem solve, undertake research, present their findings and tell others about their community projects. Workshops involve discussions, debates and on occasion a leadership role.The TASK projects are led by the students and supported by adults. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their TASK projects. The hope is parents will attend some celebration events when projects have been completed, so that students can talk about their work and showcase what they have achieved and learnt.

We run a comprehensive programme of activities that complements our curriculum. Many of our boys struggle to sit behind a desk for hours on end and need to see how their learning can be implemented in a more practical environment.

Activities such as fishing, high ropes, archery and water-sports help to develop patience,

confidence and social skills.

We work closely with our local community to provide opportunities for the boys to interact with members of the public and develop a social conscience. This has included working at the local garden centre (TAPPS), building planters, liaising

with customers etc. and doing some fundraising for our local neo-natal ward at The Lister Hospital.

Programmes run for seven weeks and they all involve working towards some form of accreditation. This will either be a BTEC award or the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness.

Bushcraft

This is a programme that works towards the John Muir Award.

Through this programme the students learn to work together and gain an appreciation of the outdoors.

They have the opportunity to cook on an open fire, build shelters, explore the wilderness around them and learn about conservation.

Fire Service

At Brandles the boys have an opportunity to work with our local fire service. They can engage in the Life Course or complete the Community section of a BTEC Award.

The boys learn to work as a team and become an effective unit. They work along serving officers developing an understanding of their trade.

At the end of the course there is a passing out parade where the boys can demonstrate their newly learned skills to their teachers, parents and carers.

E.L.S.A.

(Education Learning Skills and Achievement, a community enterprise company project)

The boys engaging in the ELSA projects work with local community to raise money for good courses, or to help with conservation or redevelopment of local community areas.

A recent article in the local newspaper summed up the work of the boys at Brandles. Whilst raising funds for the neo natal ward at the local hospital, the project involved literacy, numeracy and social skills. The article October 2017 read:

‘This is a great example of an imaginative approach to education and a recognition that the ‘one- size- fits all approach’ doesn’t work. Thank you to the boys for such a happy morning and for showing us that we don’t all have to be the same- or be educated the same way- to be valuable members of society.’

Turn The Tide

Brandles Turn The Tide Project is a 6-8 week programme that offers students the opportunity to design and build their own dinghy or canoe. On completion the boys have the opportunity to launch and pilot their craft.

The Aim:

The project is a unique and original concept. The idea is to provide students with the opportunity to pursue a skill, in hobby form, which may develop into a lifelong passion or interest, with the additional benefit of gaining a qualification.

Outcomes:

For all students to have fun and feel a sense of achievement, that will provide a positive platform to support them within the main school and raise their attendance and participation in lessons.

Students learn to work with others, improve their own learning and performance, problem solve and undertake practical skills.

TAPPS Garden Centre

TAPPS Garden Centre staff work with our boys, providing them with the opportunity to apply their classroom skills in a more practical environment.

The boys have to measure pieces of wood and cut them to size to build planters.

They also develop their teamwork and leadership skills; working together in a commercial environment.

They have the opportunity to liaise with staff and interact with customers.

The boys benefit from starting a project and seeing it through to completion. Whenever they visit the garden centre they can see the value of the work they have done and can take pride in what they have achieved.

This work contributes to either the Certificate of Personal effectiveness or a BTEC Award.

Outdoor Adventurous Activities

Every year the boys are provided with the opportunity to take part in outdoor adventurous activities.

Outdoor education, training and recreation promote active learning through direct personal experience and offer excitement, fun and adventure within a framework of safety.

Active learning and adventure outdoors take place in a variety of environments: rural and urban, local and more remote. Outdoor education, training and recreation involve both our young people and the teachers with them in a wide range of experiences, including adventurous activities on land and water and activities with an environmental focus. Methods used include skills-focused learning, problem solving, team building and self-reliant journeys and activities, with a residential experience an especially valued feature. This Year our Level 2 students had an overnight camping experience.

Challenging experience outdoors impacts powerfully upon our boys’ intellectual, physical, spiritual, social and moral development.

Use of the outdoors makes a major contribution to physical and environmental education and enhances many other curriculum areas. It contributes to personal growth and social awareness and develops skills for life and the world of work. Qualities such as a sense of responsibility and a purpose in life are nurtured. There is also a great deal of intrinsic enjoyment and satisfaction to be experienced from participation in outdoor activities.

Britain has a long tradition in the field of outdoor education, training and recreation, reflecting the strong place of exploration and adventure in the British heritage.

Exceptional accomplishments in exploration and adventure, on the sea, in the mountains

and in the world of nature, feature strongly in our country’s history. Reflecting this heritage, Britain has led the way in the use of outdoor learning and adventure for the development of young people, for example, through the Scout and Guide movements, Outward Bound and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Building self-confidence and self-esteem is fundamental to our boys’ development.

Outdoor activities provide valuable alternative, often non-competitive, avenues for achievement, as well as opportunities to develop independence and self-reliance for our boys. Through successfully facing up to the challenges which outdoor activities provide, overcoming fears and apprehensions along the way, our young people make major strides in confidence, with implications for all aspects of their development.

A positive attitude to learning is essential if our boys are to make the most of their education.

Participation in exciting and enjoyable outdoor activities with teachers, youth workers and peers reinforces a positive attitude to education and contributes significantly to the general ethos of a school or youth group. Direct experience out of doors stimulates and

reinforces learning across many areas of the curriculum, and the use of the outdoors encourages young people to take greater responsibility for their own learning.

Awareness of the needs and contributions of others and the ability to sustain effective relationships, at work and in the family, are vital in today’s society.

Experience in the outdoors provides rich opportunities for personal and social development through carefully structured group work in challenging situations. Trust, care, tolerance and the willingness to give and accept support are all encouraged and anti-social behaviour is challenged. Opportunities are presented to exhibit and develop effective inter-personal behaviour and to work co-operatively and effectively in teams.

Our relationship with the environment is a key issue facing tomorrow’s citizens.

Active learning and adventure outdoors introduces the boys to the environment in a way which develops understanding appreciation, awe, wonder and respect. It fosters sensitivity to the environment, helps them to see themselves in a global context and helps to develop the boys as citizens with an awareness of the need for sustainable use of the world’s natural resources.

Tomorrow’s successful citizens will possess the adaptability to cope with a rapidly changing world of work and the responsibility to be an effective member of a community.

Challenging outdoor experiences promote the development of communication, problem solving and decision making skills which have currency across a range of occupations. They encourage a positive "opting in" and "can do" attitude. The boys horizons are broadened, new challenges come to be relished rather than shunned, and perseverance and determination are reinforced. Values and attitudes developed in a context of shared endeavour help to form a sound basis for responsible citizenship.

Fishing

The purposeful use of leisure time is increasingly seen as making an important contribution to a fulfilling lifestyle.

Fishing is another, more passive form of outdoor recreation that introduces the boys to a range interests which will enrich their future lives, and develops the skills and knowledge essential for a healthy work/life balance.

Being outdoors contributes greatly to health and fitness and continuing participation in an outside interest encourages the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle into middle age and beyond.