Flexible e-learning for schools helps learners achieve

A service that uses flexible online teaching methods to offer more vocational choice to school-age learners is proving highly successful in secondary schools. NCFE and vision2learn for schools uses an established online learning system to bring NCFE qualifications such as NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Sports Coaching to the classroom in UK secondary schools. Vision2learn for schools offers schools qualifications that complement the existing GCSE curriculum for pupils aged 14-19. This provides more opportunities for learners, who want to develop skills for work and life, to achieve recognised qualifications in vocational subjects. The service is user-friendly and as the NCFE qualifications are not exam-based this enables pupils to learn either in lessons or in their own time, and crucially at their own pace. Jonathan Ovenden Business Development Director at vision2learn for schools said: “It’s proving to be a very efficient and flexible way for schools to add variety for learners so they can choose a personal study route to meet their interests and needs. “Vision2learn for schools engages pupils with its innovative, bite-sized approach and gives them the freedom to push themselves by learning in their own time and at their own speed in subjects they can relate to.” NCFE’s track record in providing a strong customer-focused approach to supplying qualifications along with vision2learn for schools’ experience of using technology to offer creative, flexible learning experiences in schools is proving highly successful in over 400 schools. NCFE Chief Executive David Grailey said the vision2learn for schools model was the perfect vehicle to bring NCFE qualifications to learners in schools. “There is a growing demand for vocational qualifications and this approach will help all schools to provide varied, flexible learning to students of all abilities,” he added. “This will provide a huge boost to the concept of personalised learning and will increase accessibility to a key age range. It will enrich the curriculum and empower learners to achieve nationally recognised, valuable qualifications.” Some of the qualifications on offer include subjects such as: NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Nutrition and Health NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Sports Coaching NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity NCFE Level 2 Award/Certificate for Developing Enterprise Capabilities A booklet is available containing more information – contact NCFE on 0191 239 8000 to request a copy. Case study – Weston Road High School, Stafford Weston Road High School in Stafford is using vision2learn for schools e-learning to diversify its curriculum and keep students motivated and engaged with learning. Pupils at the school get the chance to study vocational online courses enabling them to gain new work and life skills and achieve extra qualifications which contribute to their GCSE points. Ann Kingman, Assistant Headteacher at Weston Road High School, is enthusiastic about what vision2learn for schools and online learning can offer. She said: “We decided to work with vision2learn for schools for two reasons: we wanted to broaden our pupils learning experience by offering them the opportunity to study online and gain additional qualifications and we also wanted to offer alternative provision to pupils who may struggle with the mainstream curriculum. “Weston Road High School is a specialist school in maths and computing and we have sixty pupils who took their maths GCSE early in November. We wanted to give these pupils the chance to study something different that would enhance their qualifications and maintain their motivation and interest in learning for the rest of the school year. Many of these pupils have been studying the NCFE Level 1 certificate in personal money management available on vision2learn for schools. “We also have an Alternative Curriculum group of pupils for whom traditional GCSE subjects have become inappropriate and who benefit from a more vocationally-based curriculum. These students have been using vision2learn for schools courses to supplement vocational work that they are doing with a local college.” The Government’s goal for today’s 14-19 year olds is to give them the knowledge and skills that employers and the economy need to prosper in the 21st century*. Weston Road High School is working proactively towards this goal by offering its pupils the opportunity to learn additional vocational skills. Ann said: “Vision2learn for schools allows our students to acquire extra, work-related, useful skills that they can use in the real world. It widens their curriculum and provides an extra area of interest for them. It also enables them to develop ‘life skills’, which is a new area of learning for many of them.” Pupils at Weston Road High School have been studying NCFE Level 1 Certificate in Personal Money Management, NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Nutrition and Health, NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Sports Coaching, and NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity courses. These vision2learn for schools courses can lead to nationally-recognised qualifications accredited by NCFE and can contribute to students’ overall achievement. Pupils can learn at their own pace on computers, completing units and submitting work via the e-learning environment. Teachers at the school can track students’ progress as they go, receiving assignments and sending feedback via the internal email facility. Weston Road pupils have quickly taken to the idea of studying online and being in control of their own learning. Ann Kingman added: “The students have responded very well to vision2learn for schools so far. They like being able to work through the courses independently and they also like the idea of studying online anytime and anywhere. They really enjoy communicating and interacting online. “We’re hoping that, for the students, vision2learn for schools will provide an individualised programme that interests them. Over the coming months we hope to offer even more vision2learn for schools online courses to our pupils and to use the courses in many different areas; for example, we plan to use them for pupils who are being educated at home. It’s a different way of delivering learning and I’m sure e-learning will be used more and more to provide students with a well-rounded learning experience and to prepare them for their future careers.” Please note: High-resolution photographs of students studying vision2learn for schools courses at Weston Road School are available. For more information about vision2learn for schools, please contact Jonathan Ovenden at Creating Careers, Tel: 07730 402 653; email: jonathan.ovenden@creatingcareers.com; website: www.vision2learnforschools.com NCFE is one of the UK’s leading awarding bodies, developing and offering over 400 vocational and academic qualifications in a range of subjects. It works with 1,200 colleges and training providers and prides itself on its ability to deliver high-quality products and excellent customer service. Visit www.ncfe.co.uk for more information.

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