Learning Programmes
'United in Study' is very much the philosophy of Study United FC at Scunthorpe United. Teamwork is the approach of the steering group who continue to work hard identifying key partners to maximise the potential of the Centre. This has resulted in a diverse range of projects that run throughout the day and into the evening alongside PfS. There is also a further expansion into provision for weekends and school holidays as part of Extended Schools.
All our learning programmes place a strong emphasis on developing literacy, numeracy and ICT skills as well as improving attitudes to learning and motivation. All of which contribute to increased levels of confidence and self-esteem, to give a real boost and sense of achievement. Some of the learning programmes include:
Playing For Success
Years 5, 6 and 7 and 8 pupils from a number of schools located within Scunthorpe have attended the Centre once a week for 10 weeks or during school holidays. They have followed a specially designed curriculum, based on statements from the National Literacy and Numeracy Frameworks and also the QCA scheme of work aimed at raising attainment through the use of ICT.
Early evaluations are already showing marked improvements in reading scores, attitude, confidence and self-esteem during and immediately after the sessions have been completed. These activities have been funded by a New Opportunities Fund, awarded in December 2001 and more recently the DfES, Football Foundation and LEA through the Playing for Success initiative.
The Language of Football
We are in the process of developing an innovative and highly exciting updateable curriculum package using the theme of football which aims to support students in the 14-19 age group. The project targets will centre around attendance, retention and achievement at GCSE Level 2, focussing initially on Modern Languages.
The project includes a variety of activities including a Project Box, a database of users and resources, a Virtual Learning Environment (V.L.E.) and an administration system, all of which promote success and positive outcomes.
A reward system will encourage participation at all levels including the disaffected. The project has been approved by the LSC who have awarded funding for one year to aid curriculum development, a small pilot project and evaluation.
Extra Time @ Study United
Sessions centred around family learning have taken place in Summer 2004 on Saturday mornings aimed at families with children in the 8 to 14 age range. Collaborative work between parents and children took place during the first hour of the session, with the option in the second hour of adults signing up to a variety of vocational courses related to ICT.
In the second hour the children got involved with physical activities led by Scunthorpe United's Football in the Community Scheme. Funding for the taster sessions has been awarded from the North Lincolnshire Learning Partnership.
Applied GCSE
Work to support GCSE Applied Business Studies and Applied ICT is taking place with students from years 10 and 11 who visit the centre to focus on specific units of work related to Scunthorpe United as a business and ICT in the community.
Study United FC aims to continue to open the door to learning in a fun and exciting environment that will appeal to all members of the community. Working closely alongside Scunthorpe United FC and Football in the Community, the Study Centre aims to be at the heart of the community welcoming and celebrating the achievements of a wide range of individuals.
Engage
Key Stage 4 students who have been identified as being disaffected or at risk of disaffection have attended the Centre once or twice weekly for sessions lasting approximately 2 hours.
Activities include courses in either basic skills literacy and numeracy or the new CLAIT course. The programme has been coordinated by the L.E.A. Widening Educational Opportunities Project and funded from S.R.B. and 14-19 Pathfinders Grant.
Heading for Success
A joint project with The Learning Support Unit aimed at keeping year 11 students engaged with us, will ensure a smooth transition through to Summer Schools and then into college, training or employment.
The students became involved with such activities as poster making, map-reading, ground tours, video editing and pictured here; music making.
It is most certainly becoming a very successful programme for us and the students invovled.
Gifted and Talented Challenge Days
Working closely with the North Lincolnshire Council Local Education Authority and Schools to target more able students at Key Stages 1 and 2, a team of LEA literacy and numeracy consultants plan and deliver tasks to challenge the youngsters to aim higher and reach their goals. This years event featured a ‘poet in residence’ and Maths Circus computer software activity days!
We are hoping to work with the LEA's Gifted & Talented coordinator to develop a Science project based around Forces & Energy, Control & Monitoring and other topics which will be available later in 2005.
Playing for Success - Outreach
Schools have logged on to www.learningfc.com to join our online learning community. Here students can find literacy and numeracy based activities for Key Stages 2 and 3. This is the first stage of a planned roll-out of online resources the Centre has either developed itself or have bought into.
The virtual learning environment was specifically designed for Playing for Success students and is being used by other Study Support centres around the country.
Summer Schools
Following on from the Playing for Success learning programme, students attend the centre during school holidays, they are set a challenge to produce a virtual tour of Glanford Park . The students self select their roles as researchers, script writers, directors, presenters and editors and work as a team to produce a film.
It is great fun and everybody involved agrees that the film making is a wonderful way of discovering new talents and skills.
Primary Design Challenge
More able Year 5 students from Crosby Primary embarked on a work related project alongside Hull based company Innovative Graphics. MD Brian Taylor ‘employed’ the students while Study United Manager Jane Laws set the youngsters a brief to design and make a CD holder.
The children were required to work as a team exploring ideas and combining graphical elements before presenting their ideas to the customer. Once an order was placed the students were required to manufacture the product and deliver the goods on time. This project was well supported by SoHBAC and feedback related to the ‘real life’ nature of the project was excellent.
Quicklearn
Quicklearn, a project offering ICT taster based around fun activities, produce your own T-shirt, design your own CD cover, create your own photo album and produce your dance track. The target audience was Scunthorpe United staff who were keen to be introduced to ICT in a fun way. The participants were encouraged to work collaboratively with members of staff in a cross-departmental exercise to develop relationships and team spirit.
All the learners were awarded either an entry level or level 1 qualification and many have moved on to further qualifications based around ICT. The funding for the Quicklearn initiative came from Yorkshire Forward.
Bitesize
The LSC funded Bitesize initiative has run throughout March 2004. We have targeted groups whose needs fit into our overall strategic priorities and add value to existing initiatives, e.g. playing for success. The Bitesize sessions aim to engage new learners in literacy and numeracy in an aim to progress them to further study.
This strand we offered to families of our existing Playing for Success students promoted family learning through the theme of football. All the activities were literacy or numeracy based supported by the use of ICT and delivered by the Playing for Success team. We also addressed the issues of supporting children with reading and writing at home.
Player Tuition
Building on from the Quicklearn experience, 8 of the first team players have been encouraged to process onto a range of ICT courses including ECDL and New Clait. They have face-to-face tutoring on a Monday afternoon and complete online exercises throughout the week at their convenience. These courses are facilitated by a local LearnDirect training provider.
