Salford Foundation

Work With Young People

Pupils from St Andrew's CE Primary School

The Foundation has been operational in Salford schools for more than 16 years. During this time it has expanded its services within schools and its work with young people outside traditional educational settings.

This includes work with all young people, from the Gifted and Talented to those who become disaffected at school, but for whom an alternative, work-related curriculum may provide a more appropriate learning experience.

Programmes currently delivered include:

• Block and extended work experience

  Block Work Experience enables young people aged 15 or 16 to spend either one or two weeks in an organisation to gain an understanding of the world of work.
  
  Extended Work Experience is a one- or two-day per week placement over a set number of weeks which enables pupils to develop their employability skills.

• Mentoring (at high school, college and university)

  Mentoring is a form of a structured relationship in which a more experienced person (a mentor) offers support to another (a mentee) and usually for a sustained period at a point of transition. Mentors and Mentees usually meet once a fortnight and talk about a whole range of topics around the young person’s needs. Mentoring can improve self esteem, confidence, motivation and provide a positive outlook on life and the future. A recent addition to this programme has been the provision of mentoring for Looked After Children, both in foster and residential care.

• Reading support at primary and high school

  Reading Support takes place in around 50 Primary Schools and 5 High Schools. Volunteers visit a school to read with children for a minimum of an hour a week, working on a one-to-one basis with a small group of children. Volunteers usually see 5 or 6 pupils per hour. The results for the children are a rapid increase in their reading skills, confidence, conversation skills and self-esteem.

• Pyramid support for primary school children

  Pyramid Clubs are after-school clubs for children in Year 3 at primary school. They are an early intervention to help shy, quiet and withdrawn primary school children build their confidence, friendship groups and self esteem. The clubs have a therapeutic ethos and are held after school once a week for ten weeks within schools.They incorporate activities such as arts and crafts, circle time, food preparartion, drama and games. Throughout the ten weeks, children gain confidence and resilience which enables them to grow in self assurance and perform better academically within school.

• Professional development placements for school staff

  Also known as ‘Teacher Placements’, these are usually one-day placements which contribute to teachers’ personal and professional development, as well as providing the catalyst for many other learning opportunities. Placements provide teachers with an understanding of how industry operates and they can also inform the business sector about current practice in the classroom.

Pupils taking part in a tetrahedron activity

• Work with Excellence in Cities

  Activities include those which support the Salford EiC Action Zones, the Gifted and Talented Strands of Excellence in Cities and support for Learning Mentors. This work includes a focus in the transition from Primary School to High School, with business input supporting projects based around the curriculum. This work also looks at stretching the more able students who are invited to take part in challenging activities, as well as providing aspirational activities to encourage students to go on into further and higher education.

• Peer Mentoring

  A Peer Mentoring programme operates in 6 Salford High Schools. Pupils in Year 10 mentor pupils in Year 7 in a one-to-one non-judgemental relationship. The pupils share their experiences and the mentor builds their relationship with the mentee to support transition, develop new skills and improve self belief.

• High School Projects

  There are a wide range of activities/projects set up across all Salford High Schools to encompass the Work-Related Learning Agenda, such as Mock Interviews, Employability Skills Days, World of Work days and there is a great emphasis on Enterprise, where students are given the opportunity to work with employers to set up businesses, take a risk, manage money and be innovative and creative.

• Young Volunteers

  YV encourages, supports and recognises 13-15 year olds who volunteer. Opportunities include volunteering in the local area, building on personal interest and current issues which individuals really care about. There are lots of environmental work and fundraising to get involved in. There are two awards to work towards - 25 hours for a ‘Silver’ Award and 50 hours for a ‘Gold’ Award.

• vinvolved

  vinvolved is the nationwide youth volunteering programme aimed at creating the biggest range of volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16 - 25. Salford Foundation is responsible for delivering the programme in three Greater Manchester boroughs, Salford, Tameside and Trafford. Young people are encouraged to give some of their time to help out with community-based projects taking in health and social welfare, sports, youth activities, arts and culture. Businesses are also encouraged to release staff to enable them to share in the volunteering experience. v aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers in England and to boost the quality, quantity and diversity of youth volunteering. (See also Volunteering Opportunities)

Young people involved in an archeology dig

• NEET Project (not in Education, Employment or Training)

  Salford Foundation’s NEET project aims to provide alternative solutions to assist young people to find ways into education, employment or training. There are two parts of the project: assisting those who are at risk of becoming NEET on leaving school and those who are who are already NEET, post-16. By working closely with individual young people, the project provides tailored opportunities to gain self-confidence and self-esteem to make their way forward into the workplace. Packages are developed for every young person and are tailored to their interests and aspirations with the aim of re-engaging them.

  The following NEET provision is organised by Salford Foundation:

  • One-to-One Mentoring
  • Vocational Work Experience
  • Extended Work Experience
  • Skills Days (Such as basic skills, ICT, football etc.)
  • Personal Development (improving confidence & self esteem)
  • Social need awareness
  • Improving community relations
  • Enhancing employability sessions
  • Life, key & basic skill sessions
  • Assistance with accommodation
  • Addressing offending behaviour
  • Signposting to relevant & appropriate service

The ‘core’ work of the Foundation at the school level is to support and enhance the academic, vocational, personal and social development of young people by engaging volunteers from the business and wider community in the programmes highlighted above.