Springpod’s content team worked closely with Project Choice and Ali to adapt the programme to meet the unique needs of students with special education needs.
Ali Webster explained:
“We recognised early on that to make this work, we needed to think and work differently. The team at Project Choice, who are experts in adapting learning for SEND students, were able to work with Springpod to ensure the materials were engaging, fit for purpose and most importantly, recognised and rewarded achievements throughout the programme.”
It was important to ensure the programme was accessible, whether this meant additional subtitled videos or changing colours to meet the needs of colour blind students. The interactive quizzes meant students remained engaged throughout and were provided with continuous feedback, reducing the risk of drop off prior to completion.
Springpod also worked on how to provide additional guidance and support for teachers too, using guides to explain how to support students through the process, as well as providing a certificate for every student who enrolled, giving them a confidence boost that the students can achieve the same opportunities as others.
The SEND programme can be supported by large numbers of SEND schools across the country and in doing so, provides a project that gives hope to many, enables wider participation and can act as a lead into Project Choice Supported Internships.
The scalable programme means that trusts have access to fill their recruitment pool for future potential employees and gives students the opportunity to access supported work placements once they leave school or college.
“We developed the programme to be delivered in SEND schools with the support of the Project Choice work experience leads and teachers. This will enable us to appropriately select students for progression onto the Supported Internships, as we can see those students that are able to engage and progress.”
Lindsay McCafferty – Project Choice Regional Manager
“This programme has enabled us to bring Project Choice work experience to large numbers of students throughout the country, something we couldn’t have done at this scale without the support of Springpod. Our team has not only enjoyed producing the content for the programme but really enjoyed working with such an innovative company.”
Linda Selby MBE - Project Choice National Lead – Operations
Many NHS Trusts are unable to have dedicated teams of staff assigned to support work experience and so having a virtual work experience offering means that all Trusts are able to offer the same quality of content which isn’t dependent on the size of their team. It also allows students to access work experience, regardless of their geographical location. By eliminating the need for face-to-face work, students can complete their experience from anywhere.
The programme was initially rolled out to 6 schools with 8 modules, and students have already begun to complete the programme. Springpod will continue to work closely with North West London and Project Choice to evaluate the programme and monitor its feedback to ensure it is engaged with its students.
The next step is to offer the online work-related learning programme out to more SEND schools across the UK, reaching even more students and not only giving hope that they will one day be able to access a career in the NHS but starting the path to make this a reality.
Chat with our team today and discuss how you can maximise your organisation’s potential with Springpod.
