Well, it’s been a jam packed week that has included starting new placements and visiting a local theatre! Let’s start by finding out all about a performance at Oldham Theatre Workshop that all our students attended on Wednesday..

‘Common Lore’ is inspired by fairy tales, ‘Traditional folk tales from all over the world collide with the modern world in exciting mix of rap, spoken word, projections, live music and theatre.’ It is about a young woman, Scarlet, making sense of her world and the difficulties she has to overcome and she does this through the childhood stories told to her by her Nan. It is very relevant to all young people in this technological age who can feel isolated yet connected to the whole world by the phone, as Mr Handrick explains..

This week we had the opportunity to watch some live theatre. ‘Common Lore’ is a new show, developed for young people and young adults aged 16-25 (although it appeals to people of all ages). The Key Stage 5 pathways attended the Oldham Theatre Workshop where Sophia performed a solo piece that lasted for around a hour (although it didn’t feel that long). The piece covered many topics that our young people and young people around the country in today’s society deal with on a regular basis.

Sophia used technology, musical instruments and props to retell some famous and not so famous folk lore, with a modern twist. This solo piece used singing, speaking and poetry/rap. It was amazing to see our young people engrossed in how Sophia played both female and male parts as well as using different accents from around the UK to tell these stories. At the end of the performance there was a chance for the audience to ask Sophia questions including how she came up with the idea, how long it has taken for the idea to become a reality and where she hopes to take the show in the future..

Back at Medtia in our class groups, this has developed into some good class discussion and has left a lasting impression. Sophia told us that there are some dates that she will be performing the play at the Oldham Library in the near future and this is a chance for pupils and their friends and families to enjoy some live theatre for free. If you would like this opportunity, please check Sophia’s social media for more information – @CommonLoreLive on Twitter and @CommonLoreLive Facebook. The majority of our students cannot recommend this enough!

Now it’s over to The Royal Oldham Hospital for an update from our Bridging the Gap students..

Bridging the Gap at The Royal Oldham Hospital

The first two weeks of Bridging the Gap involve lots of training for the students and staff. They have to learn everything from Health and Safety Awareness to Food Hygiene before they are allowed to start their placements..

Moving and handling training is really important for students wanting to be porters, or who have to move heavy trolleys in the café or the shop. It is an important skill to learn but it is always taught in an interesting and fun way..

The students have been practising basic life skills..

Kieran and Rezaul are now experts at putting each other in the recovery position..

Fire Safety is always quite popular – especially when you are allowed to try the fire extinguisher..

One of the most important things we learn for every job is hand hygiene and infection prevention. There are a lot of steps to learn and then we have to do a test to show we can do this correctly..

During these weeks the students also start to get their uniforms and ID badges ready for going on their placements..

By the end of week two the students are prepared and can’t wait to get to work! We hope you have enjoyed seeing this glimpse of their new pathway – we’ll be letting you know how they get on soon.

This week’s ‘Worker of the Week’ is Jason from our Pre-Internship pathway. Jason has stepped out of his comfort zone this week in his placement at The Whitegate Inn. He has already begun to work independently and has settled in brilliantly! Well done, Jason..

As regular readers of this blog will know, one of the employers who provides work experience placements for our students is the RSPCA Shelter in Oldham. Our work placement co-ordinator, Maria, tells us more..

This is now our second year at the RSPCA Shelter in Waterhead, Oldham and they are fantastic hosts. We have four students on work placement from our Pre-internship pathway and they have been busy over the past two weeks getting to know the staff, the animals and the completely new routine of the centre.

Our day begins by putting our belongings in a locker and changing into our RSPCA shirts for the day before speaking to staff to find out what jobs need doing on that particular day. There are many different tasks to complete around the centre including cleaning out pens, washing animal bedding, clearing away leaves outside, general cleaning inside the building and nurture time with the animals.

Denise, the Operations Manager at the shelter, was our initial contact and she is still very supportive of our young people. Denise has also allowed us to access the RSPCA charity shop in Royton which has enabled our students to gain retail work experience. She feels that we are a great asset and help towards the smooth running of the shelter by giving the animals the important nurture time they need whilst the trained staff can get on with specialist feeding and administrating medication to the sick animals. We are looking forward to another year with the RSPCA.

This week we also nominated our Student Council with representatives being chosen from each of our pathway groups. Congratulations to our successful candidates. I look forward to meeting with you all over the next couple of weeks for our first meeting.

Have a wonderful weekend,

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

You can view our previous blog entries here

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