Welcome to the Remove Life Skills Week Programme
Pupils will spend a day on a carousel of activities involving cooking, DIY and a mock Parliament. They will also spend a day volunteering in the community, full details of our partnerships can be found below: click the above 'Monday & Tuesday' button for quick navigation.
Pupils will have the opportunity to spend some time on the reservoir and do an important employability exercise.
Remove students are given the opportunity to support the local community in many ways: click the above 'volunteering' button to view the full list of opportunities.
Ardingly College Life Skills Week
MONDAY & TUESDAY
Carousel - Mock Parliament
During Life Skills Week, we will be hosting a mock Parliament with Remove students. This is a great opportunity to learn about the UK’s unique and vibrant political system, traditions and culture by living the role of an MP in a mock Parliament. They will follow the real process in which laws are made, from policy design, debate and final decision. The students will have autonomy to choose topical issues and will be free to conduct their own research and formulate arguments during a committee stage. This will culminate in a Parliament-style debate and vote, as they attempt to persuade their fellow representatives and reach compromises.
Carousel - Cook your own Meal
In small groups you will get the opportunity to produce your own meal. We are going to combine an Italian classic for main with a British tradition for dessert. You will be given the ingredients, some instructions and a member of staff will be keeping an eye out but it is up to you to produce a yummy two-course meal.
Carousel - DIY
In these sessions you will get the opportunity to build on the skills learnt lower down the school in an environment away from the College. The two-hour session will give you the opportunity to develop skills in one of the three areas:
- How to use a power drill, different drill and screw bits, rawl plugs and wall surfaces, then breaking up a pallet, hand and machine sanding and sawing then constructing an item such as a keepsake box, bird box or bug hotel;
- Car and bicycle maintenance;
- Life hacks including knot tying, padlock picking, knife sharpening, turning off water and tripping fuses, changing light bulbs and plugs, fixing a dripping and wobbly tap, opening a bottle cap with a blunt instrument and various other tips!
Join us in the Chapel at 4.30 for an inspiring showcase of creativity and compassion! Our students have transformed pieces of clothing from the local charity shop into stunning fashion statements. These unique designs will be modelled by talented students from the Dance department.
WEDNESDAY
Watersports
An opportunity to take advantage of the reservoir which is lucky enough to be on our doorstep.
World of Work Employability & Enterprise Skills
Practical and interactive session with a number of activities aimed at enhancing the above skills and experience – preparing our students for the world of work.
The main activities that will be included are:
- Cash 4 words (negotiation skills)
- Festival Frenzy (entrepreneurship – risk and reward)
- Centre stage (communication skills in an interview context)
- Recruitment (CVs) (how to stand out)
The Ice breaker will be Masterminds – a really frantic activity with a series of short rounds that will get every team engaged and talking to each other.
Celebrating Ardingly
This hour of entertainment brings the community together to celebrate some of the highlights of the academic year. We will be treated to an overview of dance, music, drama, poetry and more.
VOLUNTEERING - Monday
We should all be thinking about contributing to the broader community and about what you can offer society. During the course of Life Skills week, students will take part in some important and worthwhile off-site volunteering
St Peter and St James Hospice
Students will engage with up-cycling furniture ready to be dispatched to the shops and sorting clothing with the challenge – Can you create a set of outfits suitable for a Music Festival?
Pelican Parcels
Pelican Parcels collects donations of pre-loved and new items for babies and children up to age 12. These items are redistributed to families facing financial hardship in the Brighton and Hove area. Students will be sorting and processing clothing and other items, checking to see if it is clean, suitable and of quality.
A day of baking alongside a group of young adults with special needs, winners of the Gatwick Diamond Young Start Up Talent 2016. This volunteering will culminate in JubyLee Bakes ‘selling’ their goods at College at the end of the day – all students will be given a voucher to exchange for a cake!
Farm on the Forest Smallholding
Farm on the Forest has a Countryside Stewardship agreement with Natural England. The 35 acre farm is also part of Care Farming and as such, sees various groups accessing the land on a regular basis for therapeutic use, including children from a Special Needs School.
Tasks on the day might include working in the Polytunnel or the kitchen garden, clearing bracken, removing Rhododendrons & working on the dams.
Hilgay Care Home, Burgess Hill
Students will spend the day under the direction of the Activities Co-ordinator helping provide a calendar of social activities and engagement. This might include chatting to the residents, serving refreshments, playing games or helping with puzzles and crosswords and running an afternoon quiz. There may also be an opportunity to help in the garden.
Woodland’s Nursing Home
Many of the residents at Woodland’s Nursing Home have dementia. Students will be helping to create spaces of peace & beauty to help encourage balance. Tasks will involve a mixture of tidying the garden and painting the garden ornaments/status.
St Mark’s Primary School, Staplefield
Students will spend the day creating a mural for the school’s Library area making it a vibrant and engaging place for children to walk through and spend time choosing their next good read! Incorporating the school’s values and a painting of Clementine, the school dog, reading, the children will hopefully be left with a Library that encourages a love of reading.
Cowfold Primary School
The school is keen to make its outside space more inviting for children. Students will be tasked with painting a sensory circuit stations course around the walls of the courtyard. Possibly incorporating some images to liven it up.
There will also be opportunity to engage with the children throughout the day.
St Peter’s Primary School
This volunteering will take place during the school’s Diversity week. Students will be working on the school’s allotment and creating flower baskets in order to provide a peaceful space for children to take time out in and provide a welcoming entrance to the school.
Blackthorn’s Primary Academy
Students will be involved with various projects on both inside and outside spaces to rejuvenate and make more engaging for the children.
Pairs will also have the opportunity to support children with their learning in the classrooms.
St Augustine’s Primary School
The morning will be spent with a mixture of time in classes, supporting the children with their learning and outdoors tidying, gardening and planting to help create a tranquil space.
In the afternoon Students will support the staff with Sports Day.
Drama on Tour
Students will be visiting three local primary schools throughout the day to deliver a short performance to their KS2 children based on the book ‘The Ghoul’. Following this, they will provide a stimulating and fun workshop to a selected Year group focusing on physical theatre and working as a team.
VOLUNTEERING - Tuesday
Chailey Heritage School
Chailey Heritage Foundation provides education and care services for children and young people with complex neurodisabilities.
Students will spend the morning helping on Patchwork Farm, a therapeutic care farm that has been specially designed to allow the young people on-site at Chailey Heritage Foundation a unique, hands-on, multi-sensory experience with a number of different animals.
In the afternoon, students will be assisting young adults with their games session in the Dream centre.
St Peter and St James Hospice and Distribution Centre
Students will be given a tour of the hospice to better understand the need for fundraising and support from the local community. The tour will end with a visit to see the donkeys!
After lunch, students will have a tour and introduction to the Distribution Centre in Hurstpierpoint.
Students will engage with up-cycling furniture ready to be dispatched to the shops and sorting clothing with the challenge – Can you create a set of outfits suitable for a Music Festival?
Farm on the Forest Smallholding
Farm on the Forest has a Countryside Stewardship agreement with Natural England. The 35 acre farm is also part of Care Farming and as such, sees various groups accessing the land on a regular basis for therapeutic use, including children from a Special Needs School.
Tasks on the day might include working in the Polytunnel or the kitchen garden, clearing bracken, removing Rhododendrons & working on the dams.
St Mark’s Primary School, Staplefield
Students will spend the day creating a mural for the school’s Library area making it a vibrant and engaging place for children to walk through and spend time choosing their next good read! Incorporating the school’s values and a painting of Clementine, the school dog, reading, the children will hopefully be left with a Library that encourages a love of reading.
Cowfold Primary School
The school is keen to make its outside space more inviting for children. Students will be tasked with painting a sensory circuit stations course around the walls of the courtyard. Possibly incorporating some images to liven it up.
There will also be opportunity to engage with the children throughout the day.
St Peter’s Primary School
This volunteering will take place during the school’s Diversity week. Students will be working on the school’s allotment an creating flower baskets in order to provide a peaceful space for children to take time out in and provide a welcoming entrance to the school.
West Hoathly Primary School
As part of the school’s rejuvenating project, students will be tasked with a number of projects both inside and outside the school building. In the outside area, two sheds will be painted and inside, walls along the corridor will be painted so that children’s work can be better showcased.
Kangaroos Children's Charity
Kangaroos Children’s Disability Charity provides year-round clubs and trips for people with learning disabilities and additional needs. As part of their fundraising campaign, the charity will be launching a Kangaroo trail entitled ‘Joey and the Gang’. This will consist of 30 Kangaroos in different locations around Mid Sussex. Students will be tasked with thinking about promotional material for the trail.
Music on Tour
Students will be sharing their musical talent by delivering a short Music concert to various audiences over the course of the day. They will perform at two local primary schools, a Special Needs School and a Care Home, inspiring and lifting spirits.
Dance on Tour
Students will visit two local primary schools, showcasing their Year 10 GCSE coursework, specially curated for KS2 children. Selected children will then dive deeper into the world of contemporary dance with an interactive workshop, designed to inspire creativity and ignite a passion for movement in young minds.