Learning for Life and Work

Young people need to prepare for the demands of life and work as individuals, as contributors to society and in the context of an ever-changing local and global economy. Helping them to achieve this requires an emphasis on acquiring transferable skills and capabilities to produce more effective and flexible life-long learners. Learning for Life and Work ensures that pupils have the opportunity not only to develop these skills but also:

• the knowledge and understanding of the challenges and opportunities they may encounter in contemporary society; and
• the skills necessary for independent living, informed decision-making and responsible action throughout their lives.

Aspects of Learning for Life and Work, not necessarily under that label, have already taken place in the primary school.  At RSD we feel that is important to build on this excellent work as soon as the pupils reach grammar school.

At Key Stage 3

Learning for Life and Work consists of four strands:

• Citizenship - Diversity and Inclusion, Human Rights and Social Responsibility, Equality and Social Justice and Democracy and active participation.
• Education for Employability - Career management, Work in the local and global economy, Enterprise and entrepreneurship
• Personal Development - Self-awareness, Relationships and Personal health
• Home Economics- Healthy eating, Family life and Independent Living.

The Home Economics strand is taught by specialist teachers with Form I pupils having three periods (105 min) of Food Technology (FT) per week.

Pupils are timetabled for two periods of LLW each week.  The remaining three strands, Citizenship, Employability and Personal Development are taught in this period using the carousel model; therefore each strand is taught for approximately 11 weeks.

At Key Stage 4

Learning for Life and Work consists of three strands:
                -      Citizenship
                -      Education for Employability
                -      Personal Development.

 (N.B.  Although Home Economics is one of the strands of Learning for Life and Work at Key Stage 3, it is not included at Key Stage 4.)

Currently Form IV pupils are timetabled for one period of LLW each week.  The three strands are taught in this period using the carousel model, with each strand receiving an equal division of time over the two years of Key Stage 4.  Since pupils will be making subject/course choices during for Form V, they will receive the majority of their Employability (incorporating Career Planning) lessons in Form Five.

While the programme for Learning for Life and Work is being given specific timetabled time it is quite obvious that all other areas of the curriculum contribute to the process of preparing young people for the world of work and for the decisions and experiences they will face in later life.  The knowledge and skills developed through subjects play a vital part in helping pupils to develop the knowledge and skills which will lay the foundations for the world of work.  In addition, pupils, by participating in other experiences such as sports teams, choirs, debating, dramatic productions for example, will be enhancing their self-confidence and ability to work in a team.

Enrichment Activities 

Outside agencies are used to deliver aspects of Learning for Life and Work on days/sessions when the timetable is collapsed.  Some activities that have taken place during the present school year include:

• Your School, Your Business – run by Young Enterprise NI for Form I
• Globalisation Day – run by BEP for some Form II pupils
• Relationship Talk – run by Love for Life for Form II
• Economics of Staying In School – run by Young Enterprise NI for Form III
• Careers Insight Day – run by BEP for some Form III pupils
• Drugs Talk – by Jackie Burke for Form IV
• RAF Presentation – for Form V
• Icebergs and Babies – run by Love for Life for Form V
• Spirit of Enniskillen Trust
• Mock European Parliament Day
• Schools Question Time

Numerous concepts of Learning for Life and Work are addressed by Form Teachers (in Form Assembly and also through target setting and pupil interviews), through House Activities and Major Assemblies, as well as being covered in the General Learning Areas.  Whole School Projects, such as “Anti-Bullying Week” and the European Day of Languages have an important part to play.
 
 

RSD LLW Activities

Year 8 pupils Employability event

During the year Year 8 pupils enjoyed an Employability & Young Enterprise day in the lower campus, organised through the BEP programme. During the event the pupils took part in a number of activities, with the main aim to gain an understanding of the world of work and choices that businesses make.

Throughout the day the pupils competed against each other to create their own companies, come up with a consumer need, explored ways to advertise their product, designed logos and business cards and manage their company’s budget. These workshops were designed to expose the students to elements of enterprise, self employment and to develop their team work and problem solving skills.

 

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Year 10 pupils Learn to Earn with Young Enterprise

 

On 19th January, representatives of Young Enterprise visited RSD to give all pupils in Year 10 an insight into how they can use the learning experiences and training opportunities available in school in order to shape their future careers.
Pupils were provided with important materials such as a helpful jobs booklet which presented information about all sorts of careers, including details about which qualifications are needed for each, and a handy ‘salary guide’. Pupils were also given a ‘budget planner’ which displayed expenditures people must make each year and completed activities in which they had to think about what their priorities in life are and what they most want out of future jobs.

 

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Sixth Form Pupils At Stormont

In October, three pupils from RSD (Kirsty McMullan, Stephen Bartley and Ross McLean) joined 27 other schools from Northern Ireland and Ireland to gain first hand experience of the cut and thrust of international politics at the sixth mock Council of the European Union. The debate took place in the Senate Chamber in Parliament Buildings, Stormont.

 

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Northern School Bank

As part of a wide range of school programmes and activities that support and encourage young people to be confident in managing their finances and to be well-informed consumers we would like to announce the launch of the RSD School Bank.

The School Bank is availably for Year 9 and 10 pupils. It will be run by selected Year 13 pupils and supervised by Mr Willis, along with a member of staff from Northern Bank-Dungannon Branch, providing a great development opportunity for our pupils. Pupils can deposit or withdrawn money from their account every Monday lunch time, 1.20 pm -1.50 pm in H11.
 

School bank staff Alana Deacon and Cherith Hughes with Northern Bank representative
 

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Citizenship & Employability Co-ordinator - Mr J Willis

Personal Development & Healthy Schools Co-ordinator – Mrs J McCarthy

LLW Teachers
 

• Mr. M McDowell
• Miss. L Robinson
• Mr. J Willis
• Miss. A Chestnutt
• Mrs. J Jackson
• Mrs. M Napier
• Mr. K Patton
• Mrs. D Topley
• Mr. P Kerr

Research Internet Sites

http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/key_stage_4/areas_of_learning/learning_for_life_and_work/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/11_16/citizenship/
http://www.globaldimensioninschools.org/index.php
http://www.diversityanddialogue.org.uk/home
http://www.niccy.org/ChildrensRights
http://www.ycponline.co.uk/public/contactsmain.htm