At Key Stage 5 pupils follow the  core subjects are part of a  three year rolling programme and will gain accreditation in  areas such as ICT and Careers.  Pupils are assessed in January and accreditation is matched to the level of ability.  Pupils may complete accreditation in Agored Cymru Pre- entry to Entry 3 or OCR Life and Living  skills  Pre- entry to Entry 3. Accreditation units build together to make a  qualification based on an award, certificate or diploma.(See accreditation policy for further details)

Examples of Agored Cymru accreditation units

ICT-  Organising information

ICT-  Health and safety

Careers- Exploring occupations

Careers- Working as a team

Examples of OCR Life and Living Skills units

Taking part in  daily routine activities

Developing independence skills(staying safe)

Preparing drinks and snacks

At KS5 pupils may take  learning pathways in Horticulture, Salon, Hospitality - again building on accreditation from Agored Cymru or OCR providers.

Young Enterprise

Post 16 students have been involved with the Young Enterprise programme for a number of years. Learners enjoy the entrepreneurial challenge which they roll out over a two year cycle.  In previous years  the learners have won the area final and have visited the All Wales Regional Finals in Celtic Manor. One of our students has previously  won the Outstanding Personality of the Year Award.

Recycling and sustainability is heavily endorsed.

In addition to the above, learners work on other entrepreneurial projects via their Caffi Coch and Horticultural project via the school garden.  Learners are confident handling money during their session in the café and whilst selling plants to parents and staff during break time.

The local Education Business Partnership (EBP) also run entrepreneurial activities which endorse key skills. Such activities include:

Group Marketing Sessions

School Visits

Enterprise Activities

Work Experience

Partnerships have been set up with local companies such as Tesco who provide work experience for pupils and also  work experience with the Follow Your Dreams charity. Currently some of our pupils work for one day a week in the Follow Your Dreams charity shop and cafe which are in the local community.

ELITE is part of the new Transition into Work initiative funded by the European Social Fund. The four RCT Special Schools are all part of this initiative. Young students are identified and allocated key workers to find a supported pathway into employment. In previous years some of our pupils  have been awarded  apprenticeships following this scheme e.g  with local companies such as with Vision Products.

Horticulture

One day a week the school employs a professional gardener, who provides horticultural learning skills. The garden has been developed over the years to provide an outside classroom, greenhouse and potting shed.  Plans are in place to develop a Farm Shop where students can display and sell produce and plants they have grown.

Caffi Coch and Hospitality

The kitchen and café in the study centre have been in full swing since 2014. Key stage 4 and Leavers are now both using the area to deliver food skills and start to run a café for other students. It is also being used for the delivery of hospitality skills for a full day on Fridays.

The staff have now become acquainted with the different items of industrial standard kitchen appliances and are now extending their skills and getting the best from the area.

The area is being used flexibly for the two main activities in the area. The café area can be setup for either a traditional café with individual tables for serving snacks and drinks. Alternatively it can be arranged using the area with a classroom setup with the stainless steel table being used for group preparation of food. Students in this set up can then access the kitchen in small groups to safely operate the oven and other appliances.

It is intended to increase the numbers of classes using the café area as the students confidence improves and skills are developed in taking orders and serving customers.

At present it is used on a Monday for promoting food skills and planning a meal, on Wednesdays for Caffi Coch and on Friday for Hospitality. In addition to this the hospitality course have catered for buffets for courses, for special occasions such as  the Awards ceremony and also for visitors such as the Women's Institute.

Pupils  in 16-19  have designed a menu for their café and have named it Caffi Coch. They have decided to develop a visual menu and hope this will help students from other classes to select and communicate their choices. Caffi Coch was  part of the Leavers Young Enterprise competition entry in 2015.

The Hospitality accreditation pathways  is very impressive with high quality food being enjoyed by staff and students alike. This will continue to develop with the menu being extended  to allow more staff customers to enjoy the hard work of the students.

Ysgol Ty Coch Workshop.

The workshop now has all of the equipment needed to operate as a Design and Technology Resistant Materials area. Shadow boards with tools have been placed on the walls and additional tools area placed in the storage cupboards.

The machines have been put in place and lessons are takign place within the workshop. This is a very exciting addition to our curriculum.

The area is also being used for car valeting, with classes using the garage door to allow access water and electrical points for using the pressure washer and vacuum cleaner.

Hairdressing Salon

Initially financed by the Unlocking the Potential funding stream and the 14-19 network, the school opened their own hairdressing salon.  Learners interested in pursuing a hairdressing pathway have the opportunity to be trained in the salon every Monday   and go out on the relevant work experience in the area.  The aim of the venture is to give learners work related experience of working in a salon and interacting with customers from the surrounding community.  The salon is also open on a Wednesday as part of  the options curriculum whereby the pupils have opportunities to try out  aspects of  different   vocations.

 

 

Option Modules

In addition to the core curriculum at KS4 and KS5, option modules are offered for three afternoons per week for learners 14-19.                                                                                                        

Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
D of E	Gardening	Drama
Art	Home Ecomonics	Digital Creativity (Animation)
Beauty skills	Media( Newspaper)	Technology

Pupils have taster options in the Summer term and following pupil option interviews, pupils make choices of their preferred subjects. Learning in the options is accredited  and is part of the three year rolling programme.

Accreditation is internally verified and then is externally verified. In the autumn term pupils achievement is celebrated through an Awards Evening where families are invited to join in the special occasion.

 

Transition 

Pupils in Year 11 and older may have the opportunity to visit local colleges Coleg y Cymoedd in Nantgarw  or Ystrad Mynach each week. They take part in courses with college tutors and are supported by school staff. Pupils benefit from visiting the colleges, enjoy the differnet courses on offer such as Painting and Decorating  and enjoy the social interaction when they visit the refectory at lunch time.

The IDP ( Annual Review) in their  final  year is completed early in the autumn term, allowing  as much time as is possible to  put plans in place for the transition from school.

 

 

 The school works closely with parents, the future provision and partner agencies towards a smooth transition. During the summer term, the transition process is increased and opportunities to visit the new provision are created.