Learning for Life and Work

Preparing today's pupils for tomorrow's world

KEY STAGE 3

All pupils get engaged in the three intertwined strands of Citizenship, Employability and Personal Development.

KEY STAGE 4

All pupils study LLW as GCSE or at curriculum, non-examination level. many pupils alos choose to study for the Prince's Trust, which is the equivalent of two GCSEs.

POST-16

Pupils can supplement their GCE studies, develop new skills and expand their knowledge by completing the Certificate Of Personal Effectiveness.

Key Stage 3

Learning for Life and Work is a compulsory part of our Key Stage 3 curriculum with all students completing study into the three strands of Personal Development, Citizenship and Employability. Whilst the subject is often unfamiliar to some Year 8 pupils the clear links with other departments such as Careers, History, Geography and the diversity of the topics covered mean that it is often a popular subject with many pupils.

Pupils enjoy the range of teaching strategies used including multimedia, ICT, group and paired work and of course individual study. Key themes such as respect for others, respect for self, personal responsibility and our role in the local and global community run throughout the LLW Key Stage 3 curriculum. All pupils complete coursework activities which contribute towards their final achievement for each school year.

In Year 10 all pupils are involved in the preparation of presentations for the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, encouraging pupils to become young philanthropists, contributing totheir local community by supporting a local charity. The pupils identify their chosen charity and then compete to win £2000 for the charity.

The YPI grants vast quanities of money to community-based social service charities each year, 100% decided by the local secondary schools. Dunclug is one of only 15 schools in NI to provide this opportunity. YPI currently works with secondary schools in Canada, New York City, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Key Stage 4

An option choice, GCSE LLW continues pupils' development through the three strands. This modular CCEA course consists of two pieces of controlled assessment worth 60% of final marks and three modules, one for each strand, which provide the other 40%.

Pupils can also choose to study for the Prince's Trust Award. Equivalent to two GCSEs, the Achieve programme is a personal development course which offers a practical approach to learning to help them fulfil their potential.

The course endeavours to provide the following benefits:

Personal and social development: By working in small groups pupils learn about themselves and improve their ability to work with others.
Life skills: They learn how to manage money, maintain a good level of health and how to stay safe.
Active citizenship: As part of a team pupils attempt to make a difference in their local community
Enterprise project: A Dragons' Den style challenge.
Preparation for work: Preparing a CV, practising for future interviews and exploring their skills and talents pupils improve their employability skills.

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Preparation for Adult Life (QCF)

Through CCEA Preparation for Adult Life level 2 qualifications, pupils can develop skills while exploring a wide range of areas from cultural diversity and social justice to preparing for interviews and improving overall health and well-being.

This qualification aims to develop personal skills such as self-awareness, personal health and relationships, as well as an understanding of:

diversity and inclusion;
human rights and social responsibility;
equality and justice;
roles and responsibilities of parents;
work in the local and global economy;
social, economic and cultural issues; and
personal development.

POST-16

The Certificate of Personal Effectiveness is a nationally recognised qualification outcome of the ASDAN programmes. The qualifications offer imaginative ways of accrediting young people's activities. They promote, and allow centres to record, a wide range of personal qualities, abilities and achievements of young people, as well as introducing them to new activities and challenges.