Community Service - The Scheme
What
the college offers
It has a growing bank of placements in a variety of areas eg:
- Working alongside teachers in junior, infant & nursery schools. Vital if you want to enter Primary teaching.
- Helping primary school children acquire computer literacy skills here in college.
- In infant and junior schools helping children to learn to read by providing individual support with the literacy scheme.
- Helping in modern language conversation classes in local secondary schools.
- Working with children and young people with special needs. This is well established at Highfields where students go and help with outings, shopping, going to cafes, going swimming and generally helping with activities in lessons, along with working in other special schools.
- A Gym Club for children with Autism. This runs on a Thursday evening after college at Moldgreen Junior School. Our students work on a one-to-one basis with an autistic child (approx. 3 - 13 years) helping them to be comfortable in social situations and to improve physical coordination with use of simple apparatus.
- There is an opportunity to act as helpers/mentors to year five children at The Stadium doing school type work to improve numeracy and literacy by using computers. This is after college (you must be free last lesson) or on Saturdays. It is a government funded scheme and the centre is run by two teachers. Our students act as mentors and are also able to work towards NVQ level 3 in mentoring.
- For those who like water there is an opportunity to help children with language difficulties, autism or Down’s Syndrome when they learn to swim.
- Working with the elderly in a range of Nursing and Residential Homes. Students help out when there is an activity session and some at meal times or by talking with the residents. Each student tends to go to a different home.
- Working with the elderly at "The College Tea Club". Approximately half a dozen students are needed for this. Ideal for Duke of Edinburgh students as it is "on site".
- There is an opportunity to help with ‘Meals on Wheels’ but this requires a commitment from 11.30 – 2.30 one day per week.
- There are voluntary places in local hospitals, these need to be applied for and selection will be by the NHS Trust.
- Indirect help to groups of people by working in Charity Shops. There are many of these in Huddersfield. Again ideal for students on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, who can help for two to three hours per week sorting, pricing, washing, ironing and serving in the shops.
- We have set up a college C.A.R.T. team, popular with D of E students. You will organize collections of everyday items for Africa and help with sorting and packing. Would be engineers can mend bicycles, typewriters etc.
You will hear more about all these at the introductory meeting and there is sure to be something for you.
How do
students get a placement?
Students collect enrolment and application forms at a meeting
during the second week of term and bring them filled in to an enrolment
session, where they express an interest in a particular area and register
with the member of staff involved for particular area. If they have a
preference for a particular place eg: their old junior school, they will
be able to say so. The college does its best to accommodate everyone.
What
then?
When we have considered all applicants we will allocate the places and hopefully within a week/fortnight the student will be informed of their placement. In some instances as with residential homes, students find convenient ones and college rings to confirm.
When do students start?
As soon as possible after confirmation, students should ring the placement to confirm that they will be attending. They must then go EVERY week. In some cases as with work in charity shops they may go in the holidays as well, particularly if the student needs the time requirement eg: if they are a Duke of Edinburgh student.
The two most important things are:
- regular attendance
- enthusiasm when there.
How long
does the placement last?
A minimum
of a term. Many students stay with a particular placement for most of
their time at Greenhead. This is really useful for those needing this
activity for a Higher Education application. It also provides a real opportunity
to build up relationships with people less advantaged than themselves
or at a different stage in life.
What
happens at the end?
The student will write a short report, which is sent to the placement and also to the student's tutor. We encourage placements to make either a verbal or a written comment about the student on placement which will also be passed to their tutor and may be included in their reference when they apply to Higher Education.