PALS North Tyneside

Introduction

Back in September 2018 we enrolled a group of students at Meadow Well Connected who were referred to our ESF Aspire programme by North Tyneside PALS. These learners were on a reduced timetable and were completely disengaged from mainstream Education. Over the first couple of sessions with these students our friendly and professional coaches worked hard to get to know the students, build up a mutual respect and overcome some very difficult barriers, which was particularly difficult during some of the classroom sessions.

Although there were one or two hurdles along the way, in the run up to the festive period the students became increasingly engaged in the sessions and began to work on developing their Employability skills through CV workshops, job searches and some Sport/Enrichment sessions to help maintain engagement and overall morale within the group.

New College Durham Visit

Just before the Christmas break the students were given the opportunity to visit New College Durham, whom we have also been working alongside since September 2018. This provided the group with the chance to tour the facilities, speak with curriculum leaders/tutors and gain an insight into different courses and career paths. The aim was to give the students an insight into College and to help with some of their upcoming career decisions. The day was a huge success and the students thoroughly enjoyed their time looking around the college and making use of some of the facilities.