Every Young Person Matters

Every Student Matters!

A Guide and Policy Document

November 2015

This policy document will be updated as our business changes in line with new legislation. It will be reviewed and updated as necessary, a minimum of once per year.

Richard HoltMichelle Roberts

ChairmanHead of Quality

STAY SAFE BE HEALTHY ACHIEVE ECONOMIC WELLBEING

MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION ENJOY AND ACHIEVE

Contents Page

Page No.

1.0 Making Students Matter – our Policy Statement3

2.0Every Student Matters andour Training Programmes3

3.0Learning to be healthy4

4.0Learning to stay safe5

5.0Learning to enjoy and achieve6

6.0Learning to make a positive contribution7

7.0Learning to achieve economic well being7

1.0Making Students Matter – our Policy Statement

Our “Every Student Matters” Policy describes the way Juniper will ensure that all our students whatever their background or circumstances have the support they need to:

be healthy
stay safe
enjoy and achieve
make a positive contribution
achieve economic well-being

Juniper will endeavour to work with outside agencies to achieve these outcomes and ensure that all students attending our training programmes get the appropriate support to enhance their lives. The five outcomes will be at the heart of everything we do and will be reinforced through every aspect of our training programmes; training sessions, events, routines and the environment in which teaching, learning and assessment take place.

This guide will identify:

that“Every Student Matters”is a fundamental part of our Training Programmes
why each outcome is important and its implications for training programme development
the type of learning experiences that we can implement to support students in meeting each outcome

2.0Every Student Matters and our Training Programmes

Every Student Matters is fundamental to our training programmes.Our programmes enable all who take part to develop skills to become:

successful students who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
confident individuals who are able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society

To make Every StudentMatters integral to our training programmes, it needs to be built into every aspect of our delivery processes. Training programmes underpinned by Every Student Matters requires passionate and committed teaching that offers opportunities for open-ended investigation, creativity, experimentation, teamwork and performance. It should also involve real experiences, activities beyond the programmes, working with others in the community, recreational enjoyment, taking responsibility for organising events and activities and encountering challenging and unfamiliar situations.

When designing our training programmes with Every Student Matters at its heart, we have considered how each aspect of the programme can support the five outcomes. Design features include:

Sessions that are interesting, stimulating, challenging and stretching
The location of learning – in the training room, around the centres or off site
The environment for learning – both the culture or climate for learning and the physical aspects of the training rooms, centres and its surroundings
Events – such as activities linked to our promotion of Equality and Diversity within the centres as shown on the ‘Celebrating E&D calendar’ across the 9 protected characteristics to include (amongst others) disability awareness day; mental health awareness week; lesbian, gay, bisexual trans history month; national day of action against bullying and violence and world autism day, Enterprise Projects etc
The centres routines – for example breaks, lunchtimes and moving between sessions

The following sections of the guide give examples of the experiences across our training programmes that we use to ensure that all who attend our programmes learn to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing.

3.0Learning to be Healthy

Why is this outcome important?

Helping people to look after their physical, mental, emotional and sexual health is becoming increasingly important.

With so many people attending our training programmes, it is clear that Juniper has an important part to play in addressing these issues.

What do students need to learn?

Juniper wants to supportstudentsto learn:-

The importance of eating sensibly, staying physically active and getting enough rest
How to make positive choices and take sensible actions
How to protect their emotional, social and mental wellbeing
The long-term consequences of the lifestyle choices they make now

Opportunities to promote being healthy across our provision

Drinking water available in all centres
Encourage students to walk or cycle to centres
Discussions within focus groups
Using formal sessions covered within the timetable to discuss mental health, personal issues, body image, coping with stress and healthy lifestyles
Visits from and links with support agencies (for examplepolice officers, health workers, drug rehabilitation workers, sexual health experts, reformed addicts and dieticians) and suitable role models who have overcome and/or managed specific learning difficulties
Encourage peer discussion and debate
Confidential Personal Counselling Service
Stop Smoking Support

4.0Learning to Stay Safe

Why is this outcome important?

Juniper already ensures that our students stay safe whilst they are in our centres or on work placements through a wide range of safeguards, health and safety procedures and policies. For further detail see Juniper’s Safeguarding Policy & Procedures, Health & Safety Policy and Single Equality Scheme Policy located in the Quality Manual and displayed in Centre.

However the “stay safe” outcome of Every Student Matters is about much more than simply keeping students safe while they are in our centres. The main focus is helping people to learn how to stay safe in their life beyond our training programmes. It means preparing them to understand risk, make sound choices, speak up for themselves and cope in a real-life environment where harmful substances are within reach and people are not always kind.

It is the duty of everyone at Juniper to behave in such a way as not to adversely affect the health and safety of themselves or any other person.

What do students need to learn?

Juniper wants to supportstudentsto learn:

How to identify and minimise risk
How to make informed and safe choices
How to voice their opinions and resist unhelpful peer pressure

Opportunities to implement across our provision

Organising trips and discussing safety considerations
Giving students opportunities to take part in work experience
Helping students to understand and follow clear safety rules around the centres and the working environment
Helping students to manage their time on programme to ensure they are coping with the work
Introduce mentoring and issue Student Centre Guides to help students integrate into their Centre and with other students
Encourage peer discussion and debate
Encouraging students to take part in public speaking, presentations or talking in front of an audience

Getting students involved in focus groups
Giving students the opportunity to work out of centre and experience safe practise in a different environment
Using formal sessions covered within the timetable to include; healthy lifestyles – drug and alcohol misuse; social media; bullying and harassment; extremism and the Prevent agenda and legal highs
Implementation of student code of conduct, safeguarding and health & safety procedures

5.0Learning to Enjoy and Achieve

Why is this outcome important?

Enjoyment and achievement tend to go hand in hand. If people enjoy learning, enjoy good, supportive relationships with their Tutors and peers, enjoy a rich variety of learning experiences and enjoy their leisure time, they are more likely to engage and achieve high standards.

Enjoyment is not just about having fun – it is also about looking back at a “job well done” a mission accomplished.

Every student has gifts and talents to be uncovered and developed. The challenge for Juniper is to ensure that all students see themselves as successful people who are able to live fulfilling lives.

What do students need to learn?

To enjoy and achieve, students need to learn:

How to work imaginatively and creatively to develop new ideas, insights and ways of doing things
How to assess their skills, achievements and potential in order to set personal goals and achieve their best
The joy to be gained from successful learning

Opportunities to implement across our provision

Seeing Juniper as a learning community, with Tutors as lead students
Introducing themed work and help students to see the links between lessons
Incorporating students out-of-centre interests into activities in centre
Encouraging students to demonstrate what they can do through events or presentations
Celebrating students’ achievements through celebration events
Working on projects
Use of all available resources (SpLD student support area on intranet and Student Centre Guides) to help students develop effective support strategies which will allow them to access, enjoy and achieve
Using formal sessions covered within the timetable to include; self-management skills; self-assessment; team working and trips

6.0Learning to make a Positive Contribution

Why is this outcome important?

If people learn that they have the ability to enrich the lives of others, give support, show they care, change things for the better and improve the environment, they are much more likely to engage with society beyond the centre as responsible citizens

All students have a positive contribution to make within Juniper whether it’s through the focus groups, peer mentoring or decision making through lesson discussions.

What do students need to learn?

To learn how to make a positive contribution, students need to learn:

To form positive relationships and avoid bullying or discriminatory behaviour
About the different roles that people play in a community
How they can contribute to their own centre and the wider community
How to work effectively with others

Opportunities to implement across our provision

Encouraging students to take part in focus groups and provide feedback through Student Surveys/Learner View
Encouraging students to make suggestions/changes to their learning experience
Encouraging students to take on responsibilities
Introducing buddying or peer mentoring
Organising events to promote equality and diversity issues
Giving students the opportunity to take part in work experience
Using formal sessions covered within the timetable to include; rights and responsibilities; citizenship and community; British values and human rights

7.0 Learning to Achieve Economic Wellbeing

Why is this outcome important?

Learning to achieve economic wellbeing is about much more than knowing how money works – it’s about helping students to envisage a positive future for themselves and their families.

Educational achievement remains the most effective route out of poverty. Students need to leave Juniper able to earn a living and make the most of their income. From the employment perspectives this means learning how businesses work and developing the skills and qualities that employers need – literacy, numeracy, creativity, leadership, problem solving, teamwork and the ability to work independently and an enterprising spirit. From a personal perspective it means learning how to manage their own money, and to be questioning and informed consumers of financial services.

When Juniper successfully achieves this outcome, students develop a greater sense of satisfaction and self-worth from feeling that they are equipped to take personal responsibility for their future working life and financial wellbeing.

What do students need to learn?

To achieve economic wellbeing, students need to learn:

About the global economy and how businesses work
The qualities and skills needed for adult working life
To be enterprising
How to manage their money

Opportunities to implement across our provision

Giving students opportunities to take part in meaningfulwork experience
Building on students experience in part-time jobs
Arranging for people from different professions to visit the centres to talk about their work
Organising a “Young Apprentice” activity, in which students propose business or product ideas to a panel of students/staff
Encouraging students to take part in voluntary activities within the community
Support students to find effective strategies that allow them to manage money, budgets and their financial future
Sourcing appropriate progression routes for students with suitable, informed employers and educational establishments
Using formal sessions covered within the timetable to include; interview skills and preparation; preparing for a work placement/work ready, career progression, managing your own money and being responsible for other peoples’ money as well as planning and running an enterprise project
Progression Promise; links with employers, apprenticeship providers and further education establishments
Support students to gain additional qualifications to increase employability and have access to Free Meals and Bursary Funds
Provide access to good quality information, advice and guidance (IAG) both face-to-face and via Juniper’s website (24 hours per day)

Version 1.5 11.15 MR