16+
Our 16+ (Moving On) curriculum aims to develop the skills necessary to ensure a smooth transition
from school to college and adult life. There is a strong emphasis on developing the skills necessary
for independent living through personal and social development, key skills and applied and
vocational learning.
Students are taught in small groups and are supported by learning guides as well as the class lead.
Our high staffing ratio is based on the needs of the individuals within each group.
16+ has a study programme that is designed and organised so that all pupils attain a qualification in
‘Functional Skills.’ The Moving On curriculum values achievement, giving our students the
confidence and skills to succeed through attaining externally assessed qualifications and internally
verified achievements. The NOCN Functional Skills assessments enables our students to apply their
literacy, numeracy, and digital knowledge in a practical manner. Students can progress through the
different levels from Entry Level 1 through to Level 2; academically preparing them for their next
stage in their educational journey.
Students are supported in planning their transition from school to college through a comprehensive
programme of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) such as Careers
Guidance sessions with a qualified careers counsellor, timetabled CIEAG lessons within the Moving
On curriculum and attendance of appropriate careers fairs within the city. Students attend college
taster days on different campuses such as Leeds City College and Henshaws College or an area of
offsite learning appropriate to the individual student to aid transition from school.
Where appropriate, students take part in work experience in school and work alongside our staff in
different roles. Many students also take part in work experience at one of our school workshops,
radio station or Bistro 16, which have been set up to provide opportunities for our students in 16+ to
experience real-life work experience placements. Some students also take part in work experience
off site and are supported by staff who know them well to make work experience meaningful and
successful.
Our Careers Lead is Janine Joyce.
Janine can be contacted at [email protected].
Preparation for work
We recognise that some of our students will thrive within the working world, whether it be in the
voluntary sector or in paid employment, beyond our setting.
We see great value in participation in learning real-life skills, both for work and home, for all our
students. Communication skills, problem-solving and collaborative working are extended through
meaningful and age-appropriate activity and work experience projects such as:
Workshop projects (offsite/ outdoor based): designing, producing, buying, and selling.
Pop-up cafes and small-scale catering: shopping, cooking, and customer service.
Horticulture and gardening: growing and selling produce.
Preparation for Adulthood: personal hygiene, independent travel, household skills (use of 16+ life
skills flat and bungalow).
WeCanDoCo: our internal student led company which further promotes enterprise.
The school benefits from well-equipped specialist rooms – Art and Design, Food Technology, Life
skills, Radio station, WeCanDoCo workshops, Dance studio and gym. Our Interactive Zone allows
students to experience and explore fantasy and real-life situations using immersive technology. We
have also added an Exhibition Space to celebrate and promote 16+ Activities at Headingley Learning.
Our students take part in learning outside the classroom in our extensive Outdoor Learning Zones
which comprises of an outdoor eco-classroom, a large polytunnel, fruit growing zone, sensory zone,
forest skills area and large allotment area allowing students to experience education outdoors and
to be involved in growing and cultivating plants and vegetables which the pupils are encouraged to
taste or use in their cooking or to sell as part of enterprise.
WeCanDoCo.
Pupils have set up a company called ‘WeCanDoCo’. Initiatives through this enterprise include
designing and making a wide range of products and as well as growing a range of horticultural
products. WeCanDoCo operates from school workshops at both Boston Spa and Woodhouse, which
has been set up to provide an opportunity for pupils to experience a work-based learning
environment where students can produce products for their enterprise projects using specialist
printing and design equipment.
The school also benefits from being based in a thriving village setting at Boston Spa, where the
school is well known, established, and supported over 40 years. The village provides a calm, safe
environment in which to teach social skills, travel in the community etc. We use every opportunity to
be involved in the local community, as well as using the shops and facilities near our inner-city
campus at Woodhouse and Headingley.