We started with a week long event working with 24 students from a number of Secondary schools in both Maidstone 1 and 2 Local Children's Service Partnership in February 2009. The success of this week on 10 students from Astor of Hever Community School was highly visible it
lead the school to invest in a one day Brand You Start for some more of their Year 11 students, a staff briefing session and parents evening in March 2009 to encourage and motivate their school
community. The school wanted the day to encourage students to be their best in preparing for their exams and this was achieved by an additional just under half the group signing up for Easter crammer sessions after the event who had said they would not before the day. They realised who their Who's were to help them achieve their goals of passing their GCSE's.
Testimonials - Clients/Agencies
The impact that these experiences appear to have had on the young people has been varied and individual, the experience encouraged them all to look at their lives and what they want to do. They now know what they want to achieve in their life to deem their life successful, their big five for life, they know that there are many people who are available to help them achieve their goals, and they have made 10 commitments to achieve every day to help them.
I visit the schools that have been on the week and the change in the student is hard to put into words but they are more focused, they have kept their commitment, they are setting about
achieving their goals. As a consequence over the week event I saw a change from quite scared and reserved young people to confident, articulate, focused young adults.
The concept of the big five for life has personally encouraged me to re-look at my life goals and can see how this could be used with people of all ages.
I am impressed at how the young people have kept to their ten commitments and that this experience is starting to be embedded in their life. The experience has allowed me to work with schools on a very positive project as part of extended services varied menu of activities, study
support. It is something that I have told colleagues about within my Partnership and other Extended Schools Co-ordinator as it fits very well with the Extended Services agenda.
It has helped to promote the young people in a positive light with the local community and businesses which is a priority in our Local Children and Young People's Plan it also allowed us to work with those at risk of becoming NEET another priority.
The impact that these experiences appear to have had on the young people has been varied and individual, the experience encouraged them all to look at their lives and what they want to do. They now know what they want to achieve in their life to deem their life successful, their big five for life, they know that there are many people who are available to help them achieve their goals, and they have made 10 commitments to achieve every day to help them.
I visit the schools that have been on the week and the change in the student is hard to put into words but they are more focused, they have kept their commitment, they are setting about
achieving their goals. As a consequence over the week event I saw a change from quite scared and reserved young people to confident, articulate, focused young adults.
The concept of the big five for life has personally encouraged me to re-look at my life goals and can see how this could be used with people of all ages.
I am impressed at how the young people have kept to their ten commitments and that this experience is starting to be embedded in their life. The experience has allowed me to work with schools on a very positive project as part of extended services varied menu of activities, study
support. It is something that I have told colleagues about within my Partnership and other Extended Schools Co-ordinator as it fits very well with the Extended Services agenda.
It has helped to promote the young people in a positive light with the local community and businesses which is a priority in our Local Children and Young People's Plan it also allowed us to work with those at risk of becoming NEET another priority.
-Extended Schools Co-ordinator
Maidstone 1 Local
Maidstone 1 Local
All four of my students have been euphoric about the week they spent at Bradbourne House. One student said it gave her a very clear idea about what she wants to do in the future and how to achieve it. Another wants to be an ambassador for the project. All four want to be involved in
marketing the project to other young people in the future. All loved the sweatshirts they were given and will continue to wear them.
Another student seems to have come completely out of her shell since she partook in the week, she now readily makes eye contact which was something she didn't tend to do before. One of the
parents also contacted me to thank me for sending their daughter on the course and reiterated how much she seemed to enjoy it. Every time I see one of the four around the school this week they have reminded me of how much they enjoyed themselves and how much they got from it.
From the school's point of view it was lovely to have four girls at the forefront of a project, too often here it is boys who get all Testimonials - Clients/Schools the acclaim and opportunity. We were criticised in our last full Ofsted for overlooking the needs of middle ability girls, here was an example of that very same group of girls being empowered and wishing to share that empowerment with others. If we do it again I will offer it to virtually all girls as I believe it is something they really vauled.
St Simon Stock Catholic School
We were extremely lucky to have the opportunity of sending 10 students, a mixed group of boys and girls from Years 10 & 11, to the Brand You Experience. It is fair to say that they were sceptical about giving up their week's holiday but what an amazing change in attitude from day one they were completely hooked!
Now back at school they can't stop talking about how much fun they had and how great the staff were in helping them with all the aspects of the week. On selecting which students to invite we followed the remit and it is so gratifying to see the changes that have occurred in their outlook already. They are all showing increased levels of confidence and enthusiasm and some have become downright bouncy!
One has taken the initiative in organising an event for his whole form and another wants to help organise and be involved in the delivery the one-day version of the programme (Brand You Start) in school (arranged for March) to the whole of Year 11 to help them gear up for their exams.
We can only describe the over-all effect as amazing and, to be honest, pretty wonderful. We hoped our students would feel the benefit from attending but we never expected such a turn-around in their outlooks.
Huge thanks to everyone at KCC Extended Schools and to Beyond Excellence for letting our students be involved in such a innovative project and we hope we will get the chance for more of our students to attend in future we already have loads of keen young people wanting to take part now, now, now!
- Astor of Hever Community School
