Life Skills open day success

This term student from the Life Skills Move on and Life Skills Keep Learning classes have been learning about their local industrial heritage and Pride. During sessions they have explored and learned new skills in making items such as enamelling, casting and sewing.

Throughout the project students have learned about budgeting their money and how to forward plan for events and visits. They have practiced using money, adding values and giving change. Some students also learnt about VAT and how it works.

During the project students have been on a number of visits which they have planned as a team. Before their recent visit to the Black Country Living Museum students chose the buses they would catch to travel to and from the museum and looked at the cost of travel tickets. They reviewed the museum website and worked out how much it would cost to buy their lunch there. Some students also researched how much it would cost to buy lunch compared the price to a packed lunch. They then visited Aldi the day before the visit and purchased items for their packed lunches. 

Open day events 

This week the students hosted two open day events to promote their courses. On Tuesday the Life Skills 'Move On' class hosted the open day event at Old Hall Street and on Thursdays the Life Skills Keep Learning group hosted the open day at the Maltings. This was the first time that the Keep Learning class had done anything like this.

Students took part in planning the events, decided on what and how items would be made, how long they would take to make and the cost at which they would be sold. Life Skills 'Move On' students took part in weekly board meetings during which they planned the activities required to complete tasks each week.

While hosting the events students used all the skills they had learnt on their courses. They interacted with customers, worked out the cost of items customers were purchasing and calculated the change that was due to be given. During each day students worked in shifts, working to a timetable to staff both craft stalls and activity tables.

At each event there was a wide range of colourful craft items produced for the stalls as well as a tombola, treasure hunt, guess the weight of the cake and have ago tables.

The amount raised by both classes was £450 but they are still selling items at the Maltings and are hoping to raise £500 in total. Some of this money will be donated whilst the remaining will be used by the students to purchase materials for their next project.

All students and staff involved worked very hard this term and I would like to say a huge thank you. The activities and the final event have had such a positive effect on the students, I am extremely proud of them all, I have watched them grown in confidence and have seen their independence grow. It has been the most amazing and rewarding term.

Michelle Bishton