We have had another busy week at Medtia Square and it is great to see how quickly our students settled back into their routine. The building is very quiet as the students spend much of their time out in the community. Lumenus have started a new project with Oldham Theatre Workshop which I am going to visit next week and Activ8 as ever are keeping fit at the gym and through their weekly rugby sessions.

Moving forward, within this weekly blog we will focus on one pathway each week and will also be featuring ‘A Day in the Life of’ – a feature written by a student on one of our Key Stage 5 pathways.

So to start us off, here is an update from Mr Greenway and the Activ8 boys..

Activ8 are back and raring to go this term. You may have seen how our new Key Stage 5 boys who’ve moved from school to Medtia got their gym induction last week and they’ve put that to good use this week with 2 sessions in the gym. The focus in the gym is fitness for rugby which ties in with our Wednesday afternoon sport sessions. The first of our sessions focused on upper body strength, while the second looked at the lower body and a little bit of aerobic fitness. The lads are really getting to grips with using the public gym and, as you can see, are working in pairs to motivate and spot each other on the machines..

Wednesday afternoon has seen us back out onto the rugby league pitch. The first few sessions look totally at tackling technique and protective falling, as safety is paramount in these sessions at all times. The lads’ retention of the tackling technique was amazing and the help they gave to the new Key Stage 4 group was great to see..

After such a physical day on Wednesday, we looked at how to refuel and recover on Thursday, looking at some sport theory and also spending some time experimenting with flavours while making some healthy smoothies..

Great effort boys!

We also have an update from Mr Handrick in Digit4ll..

Week 2 and in Digit4ll Key Stage 5 we are back in full flow. The ‘Old Guard’ as they have become have been excellent helping out the new students in this start of the new year to show them around the building and help them settle in. I’m sure people who followed our group last year are fully aware how busy the class are with filming, canvasing and creating a new business just a few of the tasks that happen.

At present we are introducing the ‘Young Enterprise’ scheme that we follow and starting to build the foundations of this year’s business. In groups we have been discussing what we would like to sell as our main product and over the coming weeks we will choose form the many ideas put forward what that product will be. The students will decide on a name for their enterprise and create a logo and slogan to accompany this. You can see in the images here that they have been busy researching and discussing what that will be..

It’s not easy filming and you have to consider lots of different elements to get that shot right. The pupils have been learning the fundamentals of how to turn on, change lens and film in slow motion this week. It was great fun creating some little scenes moving, throwing and dropping objects to see how this appears on the big screen. The ‘Old Guard’ as you can see have been helping the newbies out with these tasks..

We still have so much work to do before we decide on what the business will become but when it’s ready to launch you will all be the first to know!

Now over to our Pre-Interns for our new ‘Day in the of Life of’ feature..

A day in the life of Zanub
RSPCA Animal Centre

Monday was the first day I started my work placement at the RSPCA. To get there I used public transport. I got the tram from Oldham Central to Mumps then waited for a bus. I learnt that I can catch the 81A or the 350 bus to get to my placement.

When I arrived I signed my name in the staff book and my job coach explained to me that I have to sign in and out every day so staff know who is in the building in case there is a fire or other emergency.

Then I met one of the managers; she was called Lisa and she was very friendly, she showed me around the animal centre, showed me where to go if the fire alarm goes off and explained some of the jobs I was going to be doing.

I put my belongings into a locker then it was time to start work….

The first thing I did was put on a RSPCA volunteer polo shirt. I have to wear this as it protects my clothes from animal hair..

My next job was to spend nurture time with the cats. Before I could go into the pens, I had to put on my PPE (personal protective equipment) which was gloves and an apron. I learnt that I have to change my PPE every time I go into a new pen and work with a new animal..

I was asked to go into the kitten pen and nurture the kittens. I had to spend 30 minutes with the kittens playing and watching their behaviours. I was looking to see if the kittens were playful, shy, nervous or aggressive. I learnt this was a really important part of the rehoming process for the animals as it helps the cats gets used to new people..

When I had finished I had to remove my PPE and place it in the correct bin..

Then I had to look on the white board and find the number of the pen, check the name of the cat then tick and initial the board. I have to do this every time I spend time with the cats so other members of staff know that the cats have had their nurture time..

For the last part of the job I had to complete a behaviour report. This involved finding the correct file and checking the name of the cats and the pen number. Then I had to write how long I spent with the cats and how they behaved. I had to remember to sign and date the form before I put the file back into the correct place..

At dinner time I ate my dinner in the staffroom, then it was back to work spending time with the cats. At the end of my shift I put my volunteer polo shirt into the washing basket and signed out. Then I travelled on the bus and tram back to Medtia.

I really enjoyed my first day at the RSPCA. It was nice being trusted to spend time with the animals.

This afternoon I was invited to join a number of senior colleagues to meet with Andrew Gwynne, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities. I was given the opportunity to talk about our Employability programme across the Trust and to celebrate what we do best here at New Bridge – enable young people to achieve their aspirations and potential in adulthood. Andrew was extremely impressed by our innovative provision and I hope to invite him to Medtia Square in the not too distant future..

Letters went out this week regarding a trip to see Matilda at The Palace Theatre – if you would like a ticket for your child, please return the reply slip as soon as possible as places are extremely limited.

To finish this week I would like to congratulate Mr Greenway. You may have heard via social media that Mr Greenway has been offered a job as a Project Development Worker for Andy’s Man Club, to further develop the excellent work that he has already done and to roll out further branches of the club across the country..

We are very proud of you Mr Greenway and the impact that Andy’s Man Club has had on our young people has been phenomenal. Mr Greenway has been at New Bridge for 10 years and will be missed by his colleagues and especially by his students. It isn’t goodbye yet as he doesn’t leave for another month, but on behalf of all of us, congratulations on your new role!

Hope you all have a great weekend,

Daniel
Director of Employment & Co Head of Site at Medtia Square

You can view our previous blog entries here

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