So as we entered the last week before half-term holidays we enjoyed getting ready for Halloween this week:
Some young people for whatever reason just can not sit in a classroom doing lessons. So we need to find ways to make them engage with education. We can learn through fun, experiences. This week we have been so super proud of three of our young people that took their L2 English Exams.
Team games were played this morning. Sometimes our young people have moments of dysregulation when they feel something was unfair and then don’t always know how to manage that emotion. Today our young person managed this situations beautifully, by removing himself and find a space for himself, and allowing an adult to support him so that he was able to regulate and join back in with the games.
Meeting new people can be terrifying for many people, and today one of our young people met a new member of the team and responded really well to spending time with them. They played a variety of card games, was able to give clear instructions on how the games are played. They also enjoyed some arts and crafts today and a game of tennis.
Over in Newmarket we had some plumbing skills being learned.
One of our young people was keen to look to an additional day with us here at Pushforward Education as enjoying the social side of Golf. Here he has made a Golf Shelf in his Man Cave! Ever had your young person want to spend more time in education?! Learning through fun, experiences in a safe environment can mean young people that don’t engage with standard academic system thrive and find their spark!
Today we were told all about Sea Creatures. A lovely moment captured of engagement, friendship and learning.
When a young person completes a project they enjoy, it allows them to feel safe and confident. We take this opportunity to chat, discuss and in a positive way plan for the future, which they know will be with our support in that journey. Here I was being clearly explained and demonstrated to about the process of model building. A young person that can often have heightened emotions, explained everything in a calm way and was lovey and supportive. Very proud.
This young person designed a bespoke lock to suit his garage door at home, he then manufactured it from raw materials, finished it off, spayed it and then fitted lock to the door. Some of the work done at our Newmarket premises and then finished off at home. A great practical skill from design, manufacture and fitting. A really nice way to end the last day of term with a project completed.
Of course our week would not be complete without the cooking lessons.
But there was not cooking in a cauldron this week! Delights of Sausage Pasta in a creamy white sauce. Good food, prepped, weighed, recipes read, cooked and eaten. Together with Cheese Scones. If you get a chance to pop over to Moreton Hall Youth Centre on a day cooking is being done – the room smells amazing!
Why is cooking such an important skill? Well it not only provides you with quiet moments to bond with your young person, but also offers myriad other benefits, including boosting confidence, teaching math and science, and imparts wisdom on other cultures.
So now we are on half-term but for some of us the work does not stop there, some of our team will continue to support young people with fun engaging lessons and wellbeing checks – just becuase school is not in, does not mean we stop caring!
For those that are having a little break we hope you have a wonderful half-term, that the weather is kind to us all and we look forward to reporting back with more amazing pictures of what our young people get up to and the hard work from our amazing team.
Our Ethos
No one can begin to affect the world around them until they are CONFIDENT , COMFORTABLE, happy in their own skin and have found their SPARK! We take the time to understand and develop programmes from where the learner is in the world not where we think they should be. The work is underpinned by the Pushforward Wellbeing Index which looks at five key factors to wellbeing.