Reflecting on a Successful Year of Training

As 2019 draws to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on successes from the past academic year at New Directions Training. It has been an incredible academic year for us and the schools we’ve worked with – we have achieved great things together! We now look forward to seeing what we can collectively accomplish in the 2019/20 school year and there are many exciting things in store which we can’t wait to share with you.

Training for School Children in 2018/19

In the 2018/19 academic year, ND Training delivered over 180 training sessions for primary school children on British Sign language and Life-Saving Sills. We feel privileged to be in a position that enables us to educate the next generation, equipping them with skills that will benefit our communities as they grow into adults.

In the last school year, our experienced team of trainers travelled around the country every week to attend over 130 different schools, delivering training specifically designed for children, within the classroom environment. The British Sign Language (BSL) and Life-Saving Skills sessions are fun and highly interactive, allowing the children to fully participate in hands-on learning.

Pupils from Bryncoch Church in Wales Primary School in Neath recently participated in BSL and Life-Saving Skills training. The school commented that “both workshops were excellent and thoroughly worthwhile due to the nature of their content. The staff that delivered the workshops were fantastic and our pupils were engaged and enjoyed both sessions. We cannot recommend these workshops enough!”

BSL is an engaging session that teaches children about the basics of using signs to communicate. The pupils learn the alphabet, numbers, question words, animals, colours and more, with the workshop ending in signing along to “I Can Sing a Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World”. It is a lesson that is thoroughly enjoyed by primary school children and we are over the moon to announce that we taught BSL to an amazing 4,000 children in the last academic year, giving them the skills to communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing within their schools and wider communities.

The Life-Saving Skills training is also a hands-on lesson exploring basic first aid skills that empower children to assist in emergency situations. They leave the lesson with the ability to manage common ailments and injuries, including dealing with burns, bleeding and choking. In addition, the session covers how to manage an unconscious casualty and deliver life-saving CPR. This is an incredibly important skill to teach young people and we are thrilled to have educated 8,000 young people in first aid and life-saving skills in the past academic year.

Training for Education Staff in 2018/19

Alongside training children in primary schools across the country, we also carried out 90 training sessions for education staff in Wales on a range of topics including First Aid, Behavioural Management, Safeguarding, Assessment for Learning, Team Teach, Mindfulness and more. This training is available to our candidates, enabling us to supply schools with the highest quality staff and offering our candidates the opportunity to access Continuing Professional Development opportunities when working on a supply basis.

Team Teach – a programme based on managing challenging behaviour through positive handling, de-escalation and risk management techniques – was our most popular staff training course in the 2018/19 academic year, with around 600 education staff attending and benefitting from the programme. Team Teach is a valuable session that transforms the way staff can positively manage challenging behaviour in an education setting. It equips staff with the practical tools to manage disruptive behaviour confidently and competently.

Other popular courses included First Aid, which was attended by over 300 education staff last year. Each of our training programmes are designed specifically for Teachers and School Support Staff to upskill in key areas that are prominent within the education sector. We ensure that all New Directions staff are equipped to deliver the best possible standard of education in Wales and our knowledgeable trainers strive to share their wealth of experience built up over 25 years of working in the industry.

Exciting plans for 2019/20

Building on the success of the 2018/19 school year, we look forward to continuing our journey and mission in the next academic year. We have already got off to a great start and will be delivering new and innovative courses based on the new curriculum for Wales this year, with a goal to engage with another 3,000 members of education staff together with offering Continuing Professional Development opportunities as part of our commitment to providing the highest quality staff.

ND Training also has ambitious goals to train 20,000 children in essential skills like BSL and first aid, while also introducing a crucial new mental health awareness programme for young people. This is a topic that is increasingly important, and it is an area of focus in the new curriculum for Wales, which we aim to support and compliment through our training. Alongside this, we plan to extend our reach further across the country, particularly in North Wales. We now have five members of our Wrexham New Directions Education team who are qualified to deliver Life-Saving Skills training to children, with the first session planned in a local school in early December 2019.

It is going to be another busy and eventful year for ND Training and if you would like your school staff or pupils to benefit from our training programmes, get in touch with us today to find out more.