The Project - Summary

In detail

Summary

Detailed Strategies

Key Points

Success stories 

Does it work?

Links

A tongue-in-cheek short story  

Download Project Policy here (.pdf file) 

Download Project Handbook here (.pdf file) 

Introduction

The SRB Project at Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School ceased after the early retirement of the Co-ordinator in May 2006.

The Project worked with around 40 Y7 to Y11 students who it was felt were not achieving their potential, or who might have needed support to maintain their level of achievement. In summary, the key features of the Project were these.

Coordinator

Rhyddings appointed a teacher specifically to coordinate the Project. He worked at Rhyddings for 2 ½ days each week and became a focus and advocate for the Project and its students.

Team SRB

A key feature of the project at Rhyddings was to make SRB students feel valued and privileged. To this end the Project tried to develop a team “brand image” – Team SRB! Until October 2001, Team SRB had its own base where students could drop in before school, at break and at lunchtimes. Post October 2001 Team SRB was integrated into the school's Student Support Suite. 

Here Team SRB had access to the school's network for the first time via 15 new PCs with extensive learning and study support software. However, the Project competed with others for workspace and sometimes the situation was unsatisfactory, especially when Y10 and Y11 students received visits from their mentors. On a positive note, students had access to other adults who could provide additional help and guidance. 

One-to-one tutorials

The SRB Coordinator tried to see most SRB students once a week for 50 minutes but sometimes more as and when needed. Typical activities during these sessions included:- 

• allowing the student to complete unfinished homework or coursework, often using the Suite's ICT facilities;

• allowing the student to use the ICT facilities so they could demonstrate their true ability;

• working on literacy and / or numeracy, using the Successmaker ILS or other PC-based learning software;

• discussing difficulties which had arisen and planning ways to tackle these and prevent a recurrence;

• calming down after a frustrating incident.

A four-week rotating timetable was used for these sessions so that students did not miss the same lesson more than once a month. Students had stickers in their school diaries on the days when they had a tutorial. This reminded them and also legitimised their absence from a lesson. 

Students could also have additional SRB time in “emergencies” – usually when a piece of homework or coursework was due! This helped to minimize potential conflict. In Y11 students came to the SRB base on negotiated demand after talking to the SRB coordinator. 

Business mentoring

We had a talented team of 15 volunteer mentors from outside of school who worked with students in Y10 or Y11. They had space in the Student Support Suite for their mentoring sessions which  usually occurred once every three or four weeks. The mentoring team met as a group once each term, but individual members usually saw the SRB Coordinator each time they came into school and were in regular contact with him by email and phone to provide feedback.

Publicity and Communication

The SRB Coordinator was the focus for communication. All SRB students and parents had a 24 hour contact phone number and email address as did all mentors and teaching staff. Project information and occasional updates were featured in the weekly staff bulletin. Staff also completed a short tick list as part of the annual Review process for each SRB student.

Publicity brochures for the Project and for our Homework Club were sent to parents, and were available to anyone who showed an interest in the Project. All SRB students, and most staff, were given a Team SRB branded pen which had contact details.

The Project maintained this website, www.simonmidgley.co.uk/achieving/rhsraising.htm,  to disseminate information more widely. This attracted expressions of interest from around the world. 

Further Details

This is only a brief, whistle-stop tour of the Project. If you’d like to find out more please contact the SRB Coordinator, Simon Midgley, by . Or, click the cat or one of the other links at the top of this page.

If you're looking for the Raising Achievement links page it is now here.

Rhyddings Business & Community Mentoring Project is here.