The Robert Owen Vocational 14-19 School Prospectus

“Our students will become people who can do things as

well as know about them”

The Robert Owen Vocational School

A Co-operative School for Herefordshire and

the surrounding region

Robert Owen House

18 Burgess Street

Leominster

Herefordshire

HR6 8DE

Tel: 01568 615510

Email: admin@robertowen.org

Website: www.robertowen.org

School website: www.robertowenschool.co.uk

Twitter: @RobertOwenGroup

Facebook: www.facebook.com RobertOwenVocationalSchool

The Robert Owen Group

The Robert Owen Group has been granted approval by the Department for Education to establish a 14-19+ Vocational School serving Herefordshire and the surrounding region, under the Government’s Free School programme. The School will be a state school and will open in September 2013.

The Robert Owen Vocational School will provide a flexible, balanced programme of general and vocational education for young people in the 14-19+ age range. Our curriculum will stimulate their intellectual, personal and cultural development as well as providing opportunities for effective preparation for work and/or further work based training. Consequently, our students will become individuals who can do things as well as know about them.

The Robert Owen Vocational School is one of the most exciting opportunities for local parents and their children that this area has seen. It provides the chance to be part of a brand new and innovative school, with high aspirations for all its students and strong engagement with the local community and employers. We believe our school will be the school that we all wish we had been able to go to.

Our school will have as its core mission the challenge of the ‘Parity of Esteem’ between the academic and the vocational curricula. We will offer 14-19+ students a balanced, flexible, innovative and progressive scheme of vocational education. It is designed to meet the needs of young people of varied academic ability who attend or have attended a diverse range of secondary high schools within a radius of 35 miles of Hereford City.

Introduction

We will adopt the unique Vocational Baccalaureate (Voc Bac) which will record each student’s achievements and qualifications together with other attainments in areas such as work and residential experiences. This will encompass the student’s whole 14-19+ learning and training experience. We help our students to choose and prepare for the most appropriate qualifications, experiences and work (including self-employment) routes. The Robert Owen Vocational School will be modern and of high quality, embracing the very latest technologies to ensure our students become skilled for the modern, technological workplace.

The Robert Owen Vocational School will give our young people an opportunity to study what they want to study. With individualised learning, we will engage our students and encourage them to become

flexible and positive individuals with a desire to learn.

The Robert Owen Vocational School is open for applications for September 2013 and details of how to apply for a place for your child are detailed further on in this prospectus.

We hope you will find this prospectus helpful and informative. We will update it as we progress towards opening in September 2013. If you have any further questions or queries you are welcome to contact us or visit our website at www.robertowenschool.co.uk where you will find the latest information and developments. We’re also on Twitter so why not follow us @RobertOwenGroup. You can find the Robert Owen Vocational School on Facebook too.

The Robert Owen Vocational School is one of the

most exciting opportunities for local parents and

their children that this area has seen.

WelcomeA

new

st

ate school for Herefordshire and the region

I am delighted to introduce the first edition of the new Robert Owen Vocational School Prospectus.

Based in Herefordshire, this exciting and innovative school will open its doors to year 10 students in September 2013. In the first year it will accommodate students of all abilities aged 14+ who will pursue a curriculum of core studies leading to GCSEs at 16 years. In addition there will be a strong, comprehensive vocational programme designed to assist students with their choice of career. Successful students will be awarded the new Vocational Baccalaureate which will be piloted in Herefordshire before being launched nationally.

This will be a school with a difference. Young people will remain as students and be supported through programmes of training or apprenticeships with our partners and industrial/commercial stakeholders until the age of 19.

We at Robert Owen are confident that this is the way to equip our young people for the challenges they face in the future and look forward to welcoming you to the school in September 2013.

Jim Crane, Chair of Governors The Robert Owen Vocational School

The Robert Owen Vocational School is being set up under the Government’s Free School programme. Free Schools are all-ability state-funded schools. They can be set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities and local communities to meet local need and demand.

Free Schools are funded by the Government, so parents/guardians do not pay fees and the organisations or groups running Free Schools cannot make a profit.

Once established, Free Schools become a type of Academy. Free Schools can do things differently to other state schools. For example, they can follow a different curriculum or school day. Just like all other schools, Free Schools and Academies have the same rigour of teaching standards and accountability and are inspected by Ofsted to ensure they achieve high standards.

Free Schools offer more choice for the local community.

What are Free Schools?

The Robert Owen Vocational School

Our new and innovative school will:

• Promote a flexible and a positive attitude combined with a willingness to learn;

• Provide an innovative and balanced 14-19+ curriculum with a clear emphasis on core qualifications, vocational qualifications, work experience and transferable skills through individualised, student-centred learning;

• Enable students to experience a range of vocational areas and to progress through to a specialism;

• Help students to change or refine their options without having to go back to square one;

• Encourage students to develop and adopt a set of moral values, based on co-operative principles, applicable to their role in contemporary society;

• Improve students’ general and vocational skills that will be demanded of a young person in a contemporary and rapidly changing society;

• Encourage the capacity to approach various kinds of problems methodically, systematically and effectively;

• Assist students in both understanding and dealing with modern developments and changes in technology;

• Encourage students to be able to develop positive personal relationships with others, work effectively within a team and will promote individual self-sufficiency in an adult world;

• Assist students in developing the ability to make informed and realistic decisions about the future e.g. choice of career, further study or experience.

The Aims of the School

The Robert Owen Vocational

School

What makes our school different?

Individualised Learning

What does your child want to do?

We will develop individual and

personalised learning plans with each

student.

Vocational Focus

Our curriculum offers a balance of

general and vocational education,

allowing students to focus on

developing vocational skills and

abilities through the Vocational

Baccalaureate.

Modern Technology

Our school will embrace modern technology, preparing our students for modern society and the rapidly changing world of work.

Co-operation

Co-operative Values and Principles

will be at the heart of the school

and will be key in the personal

development of our students.

“Our students will become people who can

do things as well as know about them.”

Work experience

Our students will undertake work experience

throughout their time at the school, enabling

them to understand work, widen their

perspectives and contribute to their Vocational

Baccalaureate.

Choice and opportunity for young people

We will help each student to see how

their lives might unfold in a positive and

beneficial way.

Nurturing skill and ability

Our balanced and individualised curriculum

will allow our students to find their skills and

develop their abilities.

“Our students will become people who can

do things as well as know about them.”

Co-operative Values and PrinciplesThe Robert Owen Vocational School will be a Co-operative School. This means we sign up to the international Co-operative Values and Principles.

A co-operative is a group of people acting together to meet the common needs and aspirations of

its members, sharing ownership and making decisions democratically.

The Robert Owen Vocational School will have Co-operative Values and Principles at its core and this values based approach will be key to students’ personal development.

Co-operative Values• Self help

• Self responsibility

• Democracy

• Equality

• Equity

• Solidarity

• Honesty

• Openness

• Social responsibility

• Caring for others

Co-operative Principles• Voluntary and Open

Membership

• Democratic Member Control

• Autonomy and Independence

• Education, Training and Information

• Co-operation Among Co-operatives

• Concern for Community

Individualised LearningAll students of the Robert Owen Vocational School will have an Individualised Learning Plan, designed to their needs. When a student starts at the School there will be a period of initial assessment, profiling and the drawing up of detailed schemes of work. There will be intensive guidance, counselling and learning support to ensure that the learning programme is developed fully to suit their optimum needs.

Students will be fully supported with counselling and guidance at each stage of their learning plan. There will be a Learning Support Tutor to support those students with specific learning needs and clear opportunities to extend those most able students who have sought and value a vocational education career with clearly focussed employment.

The Robert Owen Vocational School’s curriculum will achieve high levels of motivation which will offer personal success to all and will help each student to see how their lives might unfold in a positive and beneficial way.

All students of the Robert Owen Vocational School will have an Individualised Learning Plan, designed to their needs.

Our Curriculum

The Vocational Baccalaureate (Voc Bac) will provide a record of achievement for a range of study and vocational skills.

The Voc Bac framework will be integral to the whole Robert Owen Vocational School curriculum structure. The Voc Bac will draw upon national

qualifications and will provide an entry point into further education, higher education, training or employment. It will allow both the Core Curriculum and the Common Core Skills including work, community and residential experiences to be captured and recorded effectively.

The Vocational Baccalaureate (Voc Bac)

The curriculum for the Robert Owen Vocational school will be a blend of general and vocational

education, crafted and individualised to students’ needs.

Work experience will be central to the Robert Owen Vocational School curriculum, with length of experience building as the student progresses. Work experience will be structured and supervised by the School’s Vocational Co-ordinators

and will be recorded to form part of the Vocational Baccalaureate folder.

Work Experience

All students at the Robert Owen Vocational School will undertake a number of residential experiences and outdoor education programmes. We believe these experiences will be key to students’ personal and social development.

Residential experiences will vary depending on the age range and may be at an outdoor pursuits centre; on a university campus; on a sailing or canal boat or wild camping in the mountains. There will be a menu of options and appropriate choice for groups of students will be a matter for negotiation.

Some of the outdoor education activities may include assault courses; canoeing; mountain walking; problem solving; sailing; or orienteering. These outdoor education activities

will sit alongside the more traditional team activities such as football, hockey, rugby, netball, basketball, tennis, table tennis, and athletics.

Each residential programme will be carefully designed to promote personal qualities such as initiative; enterprise; self-awareness; self-confidence; working in teams and problem solving. The essential opportunity for each student to engage in team/group activities will be of the highest priority. The residential experiences and activities will form part of the individual student’s learning plan and will form part of the record of achievement within the Vocational Baccalaureate.

Residential Experiences & Outdoor Education

14-16 CurriculumThe 14-16 years curriculum for each student will be carefully crafted to deliver a balanced blend of general education (approximately 70-75% of

total curriculum time) and vocational education (minimum of 25% of total curriculum time).

The blend of general and vocational education will motivate our students and provide them with a clear focus on the future world of work (including self-employment) and further work based training.

Students will undertake an appropriate range of GCSE’s, including English, Mathematics and Science; a range of basic

skills certification; as well as more vocationally related accreditation including accreditation of work experience and the residential and outdoor programmes.

Students will also undertake a Common Core Skills Curriculum which will include the social, personal and inter-personal skills for preparation for the world

of work. The Common Core Skills Curriculum will include communications; careers education and guidance; micro –electronics; basic accountancy; use of information resources and information systems; understanding of the new environmental technologies; coping skills and general inter personal skills such as working in a group, accepting responsibility, planning, coping, health and safety and the broader citizenship responsibilities, as well as PE and Games.

The driving force for the 14-16 curriculum will be to exploit all opportunities to develop fully their intellectual, social, creative and expressive abilities. Achievement will be recognised and rewarded.

16-19 CurriculumThe 16-19 curriculum will build on the experience in the 14-16 curriculum by refining and personalising to each student’s needs.

The unique 16-19 Curriculum will be student centred with individual study programmes planned in negotiation with students. This will include the following elements:

• Smooth progression to a range of nationally recognised qualifications including BTECs, A-Levels and Foundation Degrees

• Common core skills curriculum to cover the social, personal

and inter-personal skills for preparation for the world of work;

• A broad curricular base leading to a range of potential career opportunities at craft and technician levels;

• Integrated industrial, commercial, business or field experience and apprenticeship opportunities;

• A modular structure to provide maximum flexibility in terms of location, learning programme and mode of study.

The Robert Owen Vocational School will be offering a number of vocational areas within the curriculum, depending on need and requirements. Some of the areas we are intending to offer are as follows:

• Administrative, Clerical and Office Services

• Land based industries, including Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishery, Forestry Installation and Maintenance Crafts

• Rural Crafts

• Engineering

• Construction

• Manufacturing

• Transport Services

• Catering, Food Preparation and Service

• Media, Performing and Expressive Arts

• Community and Health Services

• Hairdressing, Beauty and Personal Services

If there are areas we have not included, that you are interested in your child studying please contact us as we may be able to offer other areas.

Vocational Areas

Location & PremisesTemporary SiteThe School will open in September 2013 in temporary accommodation at the former Holme Lacy Primary School, Holme Lacy, HR2 6LW,

Holme Lacy is large enough to support our first year intake. We will use it as the base for our academic studies and use external local vocational education providers.

Permanent SiteThe School’s permanent site and buildings will be in Hereford City at the former Hereford High School for Boys site, Blackfriars Street, Hereford, HR4 9HS.

The Blackfriars site will be developed into a modern and innovative resource for the region and the central location will provide the best possible access for students across our footprint.

Catchment AreaOur catchment area is within a 35 mile distance of Hereford City.

We can discuss any specific transport issues with you on an individual basis as required.

The Robert Owen School Year will model the standard school year with the option of Extension Studies on Saturdays and periods of structured work, work experience and community placements during

the Easter & Summer vacations. Such placements and experiences would have clear targets will be supervised and the outcomes would be recorded in the Voc Bac.

A Typical School Week

*note that in the 14-15 phase, students will experience up to eight vocational areas and in the 15-16 phase students will experience up to five of these vocational areas in more depth.

MON TUES WEDS THURS FRI SAT09.00 - 10.30

Science Maths

BREAK11.00 -12.30

Maths English

BREAK13.00 -14.30

English Tutorials

BREAK14.45 - 15.45

Common Core Skills

Common Core Skills

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8

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* an

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GC

SEs

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14-16

The School Timetable

MON TUES WEDS THURS FRI SAT09.00 - 10.30

Science Maths

BREAK11.00 -12.30

Maths English

BREAK13.00 -14.30

English Tutorials

BREAK14.45 - 15.45

Common Core Skills

Common Core Skills

MON TUES WEDS THURS FRI SAT09.00 - 10.30BREAK11.00 -12.30BREAK13.00 -14.30BREAK14.45 - 15.45

16-19+

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How to applyIn September 2013 we will be opening to 60 students entering Year 10. Therefore you may apply if your child was born between 01/09/1998 and 31/08/1999. We will also accept applications from those wishing to repeat Year 10, so if your child was born between 01/09/1997 and 31/08/1998.

You can apply for a place for your child online at www.robertowenschool.co.uk or telephone us on 01568 615510 for an application form.

The Robert Owen Vocational School is committed to being fair and transparent in its admissions arrangements. Our admissions policy is available on our website at www.robertowenschool.co.uk

About usThe Robert Owen Vocational School is part of the Robert Owen Group.

With 20 years of experience in education, training and regeneration, the Robert Owen Group is a well established co-operative organisation based in Herefordshire and operating across the West Midlands and Marches border region.

We’ve got a long and established history of working with schools and communities to deliver initial teacher

training courses, education projects and regeneration activities, working to bring the school and community together.

The Robert Owen Group is a non-political, non-religious, and not-for-profit organisation. Information about the Group can be found at our website www.robertowen.org or you can join us on Twitter @RobertOwenGroup, or find the Robert Owen Vocational School on Facebook.

The Robert Owen Vocational Schoolwww.robertowenschool.co.uk

The Robert Owen Group Robert Owen House, 18 Burgess Street, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 8DEwww.robertowen.org E-mail: admin@robertowen.org Tel: 01568 615 510

Member organisations:

The Robert Owen Society: IPS29301R (an exempt charity), The Marches Consortium: IPS28287R (an exempt charity),

The Robert Owen Business, Innovation and Enterprise Society: IPS30008,The Robert Owen Foundation: Registered Charity No. 1135628

Disclaimer: This prospectus describes the Robert Owen Vocational School and is intended as a guide for prospective parents and students. The Robert Owen Group and the Robert Owen Vocational School will take all reasonable steps to provide the educational services as described in this prospectus. However, it does not guarantee that provision of such services and the Robert Owen Group and the Robert Owen Vocational School reserve the right to modify or withdraw without any notice any of the courses or facilities described in this prospectus. This prospectus does not form part of any contract between you and the Robert Owen Group or the Robert Owen Vocational School. The Group nor School shall be under no liability for loss occasioned to any person as

a result of the contents of this prospectus.

All information contained in this prospectus is correct at the time of publication.

Please note that imagery contained within the prospectus is designed to be illustrative and purely indicative of the services and resources of the School.

Published August 2012 © The Robert Owen Group