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CLaSS Learners Celebrate at Celebration of Achievement Event
A CLaSS celebration of achievement evening was held at the Leytonstone Learning Link on Tuesday 10th March 2009.
The learners who received their awards represent the 1000’s of
learners who achieved their goals during the year 2007-2008. A broad range of
subjects was represented – indicative of the wide range of options
available to CLaSS learners.
The main theme for the evening was Outstanding Success in Learning. Almost 100 learners received certificates and had their photograph taken with Councillor Reardon, Portfolio holder for Leisure, Arts & Culture.
All learners receiving awards had successfully passed qualifications in their chosen subjects, 20 learners attended who had passed their NCFE Level 2 Teaching Assistant Certificate, 11 learners who had passed level 1 or level 2 Maths qualifications. Learners who had successfully studied, French NVQ level 2, Art 'A2' Level, British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Level 1 Certificate, Childcare - NVQ Level 2, Computerised Accounts Level 3, Customer Service NVQ Level 2, English - Level 2, Fashion City & Guilds 7822, Indian Head Massage - Level 3 Diploma, NVQ for IT Users (ITQ) at Level 2, and Spanish GCSE also received awards.
Councillor Reardon talked about the importance of adult learning and the
role that CLaSS plays in helping local people achieve their goals and take an
active part in the community.
The evening was formally closed by Anne Perez – Head of CLaSS who congratulated all the learners on their success.
Additional Learning Support
CLaSS can help support you to learn. We can provide a range of equipment such as, hearing loops, magnifiers, and computer software. We can also arrange for support staff such as Communicators and Learning Support Assistants to help you in the classroom. Other support can include help with your writing skills, study skills, ESOL, Dyslexia support and numeracy. Please ask for help at the time of booking your course or speak to your lecturer or any member of the centre staff at any time during your course. You can find more details of Additional Learning Support here.
Update on CLaSS accommodation - Queen’s Road, Walthamstow
The plans for the new CLaSS centre at Queen’s Road are well advanced. After much discussion and collaboration, in particular with the primary school who will share the site, architect drawings have been signed off for both the exterior and interior design detail. A public consultation was held at the Education Centre which currently stands on the site to which local residents were invited to view and discuss the plans.
Representatives from Edinburgh School, CLaSS, the firm of architects and the building contractor were there to present the plans in detail and answer resident’s questions. There is still much work to be done and the plans have now gone forward for the necessary approval.
We are all very excited at the thought of a move in 2010 to a new state of the art centre for adult learning in the centre of the borough. We will keep you informed as things progress.
The future is Green for CLaSS gardening learners
A number of learners who recently completed City and Guilds Gardening qualifications have gone on to interesting projects -
Violante Figurers-Garrett, upon completing the course, co-founded a community enterprise based in Waltham Forest which supports local schools and community groups to develop their own food-growing and wildlife gardens.
Leandra Gilmore has begun working full-time for Aurora, a gardening business who specialise in maintenance of indoor plants in offices.
Sara Davies has just launched, with her colleague, GET GROWING, a social enterprise in Hackney who provide food growing training to people in their own garden spaces. They have received grant funding, so are employed but able to provide the service for free. They have been overwhelmed with demand since the launch.
Annie Stables will be the first organic "micro-farmer" in London, having acquired the use of a large rectory garden for growing salad leaves for sale to an organic box scheme in Hackney this year.
Other learners are doing the course as part of a career change or a healthier lifestyle
Visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum
On the 5th December 2008 a Level 1/Entry 3 English class held at Friday Hill House went on a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in the centre of London. Find out how they got on here.
Personal Best – Realise your Potential Today
This exciting Personal Best volunteering programme, which is funded by Learning & Skills Council and London Development Agency, is a great opportunity for you if you are not in work or education, and you would like the chance to volunteer in your community. Find out more about this great opportunity here.
CLaSS - Ofsted Inspection April 2009
A team of Ofsted inspectors will be coming to inspect the service in the week of the 20th-24th April. This is part of a cycle of regular inspections carried out by Ofsted on all publicly funded education providers. Inspectors will look at the work that we do here in CLaSS and make judgements on a range of aspects of our work – e.g the quality of the teaching and learning, how well learners’ needs are being met and how well they are being supported to achieve.
Inspectors will want to see a number of classes in that week and they will decide which ones to visit. So they may well come in and spend some time in your group. As well as observing the lesson, inspectors may take a few moments to speak to the learners. They will be interested to know if you are enjoying the course, how you know you are making progress and if you have had the information, advice and support that you need to achieve your learning outcomes and to move on with your learning. They will also be very pleased to see examples of work that you have produced on your course.
Please do not be concerned - this is not a judgement on individual learners but on the way the service operates overall. Your lecturer will talk inspection through with you and make sure to prepare you for this visit. I know that in turn you will want to support your lecturer and other staff in the service at what can be a stressful time for staff.
One of the ways that you can support a good inspection is by making sure to attend your course as usual during inspection week. It is the first week of the new term so please make a careful note of when your class starts up again. If you have also enrolled on a new course starting that week then please make sure you note when it starts and where to go. Both your lecturer and the front-line administrative staff will be more than happy to help with this.
Should you have any questions at all about inspection please don’t hesitate to approach your lecturer.
6 Book Challenge
CLaSS in partnership with WF libraries took part in the ‘6 Book Challenge’, designed to encourage people not in the habit of reading to get the habit! It started with a reading from a local author and ended with tours of the library, an opportunity for joining the libraries and 6 Book Challenge signing up. Around 45 people attended the event and 32 people joined the 6 Book Challenge.
Free External Childcare
Two schemes are available to support learners to access non-CLaSS crèche based childcare. To find out more about how to apply and eligibility criteria, click here.
Hats are Back
Hats have become really popular again and a big part of fashion in the high
street. A hat making taster day was run in the summer, due to the excellent
take up on that course we included Millinery in this year’s provision.
Learners have produced a range of hats to their own designs, achieving a high
standard of work even though most learners had never made hats before. Look out
for our new millinery courses starting in September.
Good news about ‘My Endz’ learners
Last year CLaSS ICT team ran a successful series of courses for young adults on the Beaumont Estate working together at and in partnership with the Cyber Link. One of the outcomes was an inspiring exhibition of digital photography (see here) which has been on tour including a period in the William Morris Gallery and with a selection on display in the Waltham Forest Direct office in Leyton. The young people on the course were all Not in Education or Training (NEETS) a government target group. The current position is that of 17 learners on the course; 4 progressed to a BTEC in Art Design and Media at Chestnuts House, 4 are now in full time employment, 6 are in part time work and 3 are studying sports science at college.
Well done to you all.