Wakefield College Foundation Learning Newsletter Spring 2025

Department Newsletter

wakefield.ac.uk

Welcome

Greetings from the Foundation Learning Department at Wakefield College!

I am thrilled to welcome you to read our departmental newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading about the amazing things that happen within our Foundation Learning Department.

In this edition, you can expect to find a wealth of information. We’ll bring you the latest news from our department, keeping you up-to-date with current trends and departmental achievements.

Our main focus is to provide our students with the core skills and confidence which will prepare them for their next steps in life. That’s why we arrange for our students to take part in a rich variety of activities and experiences alongside their learning to ensure they can successfully progress onto their next steps.

We also believe in the power of real stories to inspire and guide and you will be able to read about some of our student success stories in this newsletter, including some of our current and former students. These stories serve as a testament to the supportive and innovative environment that Wakefield College offers.

Former Students’ Achievements Recognised with Award

Former Wakefield College FLEX student Orestas Jurgutavicius attended the Wakefield BID Awards 2024 with Café 19, who won the Independent Business of the Year Award for its homemade food, friendly service and community focus.

Orestas and fellow former student Sarah Bartlett contributed to the business through their work placements, and Orestas has since secured paid employment there three days a week. It’s fantastic to see one of our former students doing so well!

Project SEARCH Makes National TV

Deborah Moss Head of Inclusion

Our DFN Project SEARCH students Codie Belford and William Jones recently made their big TV debut when Katie and Harvey Price visited them in their workplace at Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield.

As part of a special episode of the One Show, Katie and Harvey met with Codie and William to find out how they’re getting on in their placements and how DFN Project SEARCH has benefitted them.

Viewers got a glimpse of what Codie’s internship involved as a Ward Domestic, as well as William’s role as a Facilities Porter, at the Trust. Katie and Harvey also spoke to Codie’s mum Kerry and William’s dad Stephen about what it was like for their children growing up and the opportunities that the programme has given them.

Hear from our Students

Aliesha

I chose to study Foundation Learning at Wakefield College because I heard about the range of classes they offer, such as employability skills. I enjoy making new friends and learning lots of new things, such as how to work in a team, computer skills and GCSE English. I’d like to stay at the College and begin a Health and Wellbeing programme because I’d like to work for the NHS in the future like all my family do.”

Jasmin

My favourite thing about the course has been meeting new people and expanding my learning with teamwork, computer skills, cooking, baking and crafts. My favourite activities were making pompom wreaths for the Christmas Fair and baking a chocolate fudge cake in cooking class. My dream job would be to help people with disabilities.”

Jacob

My experience on the DFN Project SEARCH programme has been brilliant. I got to try a range of different jobs as part of my placement at Kendray Hospital and the staff are very caring, going the extra mile to support me. I was also part of the youth advisory group which I enjoyed - it was good to have a voice and be able to make a difference to the programme. I would recommend the scheme to parents, carers and young people who have autism or a learning disability, as it gives you experience in different areas and helps you to find out what you want to do.”

Fun Facts!

Octopuses have three hearts

Two pump blood to the gills, one to the rest of the body. That last one stops when they swim.

Sharks existed before trees

Sharks have been around for over 400 million years. Trees showed up around 350 million years ago.

As a Foundation Learning student, you will get to work in our brand-new I-innovate pods! You can try your hand at a range of innovative technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, state-of-theart drones, green screens and podcasting equipment, eGlass Lightscreens, Wizefloor interactive floor projectors and more.

The Eiffel Tower can grow over 6 inches in summer

Heat expands metal. That’s thermal expansion at work.

There’s a species of jellyfish that can potentially live forever

Turritopsis dohrnii can revert to an earlier life stage and start over.

You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from 2 miles away

Their hearts weigh over 400 pounds.

Celebrating our Students’ Successes

We love to celebrate the personal and academic achievements of our students at our annual awards ceremony.

Last year, we held an entertainment-filled awards afternoon where our tutors handed out awards for each student to commemorate their hard work, alongside some special awards to mark exceptional progress in English, Maths and ICT.

To close the awards, the students put on a show for their audience of family and staff. First, Jack Scholey, delivered a vocal cover of the powerful ballad, ‘You Raise Me Up’, which left the crowd teary-eyed. The energy was then reversed by one student delivering an original rap, followed by a musical theatre vocal performance of ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ and a class sing-along to ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’.

The audience was lively throughout the show, supporting each student with cheers and many rounds of applause.

An

Enriching Experience

We want to ensure our Foundation Learning students have an enriching experience during their time with us, which is why they take part in additional activities such as drama workshops. Our students are currently attending a weekly workshop with drama teacher Tina Shuker-Abel, where they are building their confidence and communication skills. Our Pathways students are also practicing mirroring to develop trust, leading to a Shakespeareinspired movement piece. They’re loving the sessions.

Students Support British Heart Foundation and Save the Children

As a Foundation Learning student, you will have the opportunity to get involved in a number of activities to fundraise for local and national charities.

As part of their art and enterprise unit, our Pathways and VOTE students held a Christmas craft sale to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and Save the Children.

The students sold a collection of items such as handmade Christmas cards, baubles, wreaths and decorations. This helped the students develop key skills such as team building, communication and money handling. The stall was well attended and the students raised an amazing £300 overall for both charities!

In honour of cancer awareness month, our Get SET and FLEX students also held a bake sale – raising more than £100 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

OPEN EVENTS

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A LEVELS* FOUNDATION LEARNING

* Wakefield College only

WEDNESDAY 15th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 11th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 15th NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 13th JUNE 10am-12pm EVENTS 2025 EVENTS 2026

WEDNESDAY 16th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 12th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 14th JUNE 10am-12pm

All events will take place at Wakefield College and Castleford College

Events taking place at both Wakefield College and Castleford College

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