Growing Futures students recently opened the new classroom building at Newquay Orchard which will be their base for learning in the urban greenspace from now on!
As well as the potting shed and polytunnels they’ll now have 2 classrooms and a teaching kitchen to learn in. The sustainable timber frame building took 12 months to complete. It is a dedicated teaching environment where the students, aged 16-19, or 16-25 with an Educational, Health, Care Plan (EHCP), can achieve their math’s and English GCSE’s and learn how to cook the produce they have helped to grow on the 7 acre site.
Sarah Anthony, Education Manager at Newquay Orchard, believes this space will help the students thrive. She said: “Newquay Orchard is a great alternative learning environment however now we’ve got these indoor spaces we are able to broaden our curriculum offer of skills development and better respond to students areas of interest.”
“Since opening the classroom building we’ve held cookery lessons using foraged food from around the orchard and invited external experts such as a sign language practitioner to teach the students,” added Sarah.
Formerly the students were taught in a classroom inside the Kowel Gwenen community building which shares a space with Canteen at the Orchard. Now this space is free to be used by community groups, events and Newquay Orchard volunteers. If you’ve got a meeting or community group in need of space email info@nqyorchard.pixolomew.design to enquire about the space.
Young people on the COMPASS and Skills Your Way programmes facilitated at Newquay Orchard will also take place in the classroom. They will provide a space for Newquay Orchard’s young people change coaches to carry out sessions such as CV building and 1:1 meetings with young people on the support programmes.
The new teaching classroom is also a space which Newquay Orchard volunteers can use and they have held arts and crafts sessions in the space as well as a potentially life-saving first aid course given free to volunteers who wanted to learn. The Newquay Orchard Masterclasses are also being operated from the space which gives the public the chance to learn from Sarah (pictured above) and Hetty Ninnis, Newquay Orchard’s Sustainable Landscapes Manager, and develop their horticultural knowledge and skills. You can get tickets for the next masterclass on Tuesday 19 April now!
The building work was also a learning opportunity for the Sustainable Landscapes Kickstart employee who joined the team as part of the new government scheme to get people back into employment. Working with the team they landscaped the area surrounding the build which included creating a set of steps up into the Market Garden.
Growing Futures is a full time study program based at Newquay Orchard. It is suited to young people aged 16 – 18 or 18 – 24 for people with an Education Health Care Plan who thrive in alternative learning environments. On Tuesday 19 April, 2pm – 4pm, the Newquay Orchard education team will be hosting an open day for young people, their families and carers who would like to find out more about learning at Newquay Orchard. If you’d like to attend the next Growing Futures open day please email info@nqyorchard.pixolomew.design.
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