Last day of Term
A fun filled week to end a difficult year with a range of sports, karaoke, water balloons, pie face and ice-cream; promoting positive mental wellbeing and social and community inclusion.
World Health Day
The learners took part in a range of activities including creating cards of kindness, making healthy smoothies, entering the wheelbarrow race and planting sunflowers. These activities were part of a timetable pause to celebrate World Health Day and promote everyones health and wellbeing and community inclusion.
Learning Disability Week
To celebrate Learning Disability Week, learners and staff at Thornbeck College created a ‘Thornbeck Collage’ made up of hand, foot and finger prints to express themselves through art and creativity.
Learners also participated in a range of activities to develop awareness and understanding of the needs of others.
Learners increased their knowledge about a range of different ways to communicate for those who are blind and partially sighted and those who are hard of hearing. Learners wrote their names in Braille and signed their names in Makaton.
Learners participated in a group activity with each member of the group taking on a different role; one person to wear ear defenders to symbolise those hard of hearing, one to be blindfolded to represent those partially sighted, one to use only one hand to represent physical disabilities and one unable to speak to represent pre-verbal communication. Learners demonstrated fantastic teamwork and communication skills to transport the whole group across an identified area using a range of shapes as a path.
Learners participated in a game of bell football rounders. The learner kicking was blindfolded and chose a teammate to help them around each base. Learners marking each base used a bell to help guide the kicker towards their base. A great day of fun and awareness for all involved.
Volunteers Week
In June learners in the Maintenance group participated in a community litter pick to celebrate volunteers week. The learners accessed a local park in Newton Aycliffe and were proud to be helping to keep the local community clear of litter. Participating in Volunteers Week supported the development of their employability skills and promoted community cohesion.
Student Council has its say on staff recruitment
Learners at Thornbeck College have played an active role in staff recruitment for the first time, in a ground-breaking move by the North East Autism Society.
Student Council President Will Smith and Welfare Officer Kieran Wheatley were given the chance to interview candidates applying for Learning Support Assistant and FE Tutor positions.
Kieran, who started at the college last September, and Will, who is now in his second year of study, asked all candidates the following two questions: how would you help keep students safe at college, and what skills would you bring to the job?
When it came to desired traits, both Kieran and Will said they were looking for candidates who were calm, confident and qualified, but, most importantly, prioritised the safety of learners.
“I liked one of the candidates because he was kind and approachable,” Will added. While Kieran said: "For me personally, the most important things were what are their morals, what they are skilled in and how do they act."
Principal Nicola Brown says the process, which was thought up by the Student Council, gave learners the chance to have a voice when it comes to the staff who support them.
Read the full story here.
Sun Awareness Week
Learners participated in a range of activities for Sun Awareness Week. They participated in an experiment using UV beads to identify which sun cream has the best protection, the weather was cold and rainy so learners participated in an indoor picnic and identified appropriate attire to wear at the beach followed by a quiz and an ice pop and they created a stained glass window to see the visual effect of the sun shining through.
Increasing their awareness of the sun and appropriate safety measures has supported learners to develop their personal safety skills.
Thornbeck College celebrated World Health Day by taking part in activities which supported physical health including a wheelbarrow obstacle race and making fruit smoothies. Learners also enjoyed a random act of kindness activity where they identified a peer and made a card to share a kind message.
Participating in the activities had a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of learners.
Autism Awareness Month
Learners celebrated Autism Awareness Month by learning about the things that make us all unique. Learners tested their senses by participating in activities which tested their touch, taste, smell and hearing. They scored themselves and discussed the results as a group identifying each other’s strengths.
Learners also participated in activities linking to communication including Lego Therapy, a Describe and Draw task and a Blind Folded Trust Walk. Learners evaluated their performance and shared positive messages about their peers performances during the activities.
National Careers Week
Thornbeck participated in National Careers Week, this year we looked at employability. We developed our soft employment skills including communication and following instructions, teamwork, problem solving and maintaining our health and wellbeing. Activities learners participated in:
Feedback from learners was positive following the week's activities.
Safeguarding Month
In February, the learners developed their understanding of three key areas of safeguarding:
The learners increased their understanding of social media and how discrimination can take place online, The learners created avatars to use and looked at how to change security settings and group chat scenarios. Learners looked at how they can make their own decisions about their own bodies, and how to further protect themselves from sexual abuse.
Remote learning
Adam has been busy developing his independent living skills at home, helping to cook soup and beans on toast for his family and helping to keep the house clean. Adam’s favourite thing to bake is cheese scones! Well done Adam for showing how many skills you can now do by yourself.
Joe has been busy working on his home learning activities. He has completed various household tasks including following instructions to take orders and make toasted sandwiches with increased independence at lunch time.
During recycling and sustainability week last year, Joe made a money box from a recycled tin. He has been saving his coins and finally opened it to count £20.05! He plans to combine his Christmas and birthday money along with this to buy a new smart TV for his bedroom.
Well done Joe, fantastic work!
Thornbeck Reading Week
Learners completed a book report on their favourite book and learners working from home shared their favourite books via teams with their peers. Learners also created their own comic book of themselves and their chosen story line and took part in a team activity playing Mad Libs word game. Discussions around Reading week included the importance of reading and what we read in everyday life.
World Religion Day
Learners took part in group discussion and read slides from a presentation identifying different religions around the world, they identified what each religion believes, comparing similarities and differences between the religions. Learners also completed a matching activity linking religions to key words and facts.
Merry Christmas
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
A small group of student council representatives, held a meeting to discuss ideas of which charity we could support. This month’s theme is ‘being kind’. Learners identified two worthy charities and organised a whole college vote to identify a chosen charity. The 2 charity contenders were the local Foodbank and the Salvation Army. The votes were counted and the winner was the Foodbank.
A student council representative created a letter which was sent home with a list of preferred items to donate to the Foodbank. We had an excellent response from Learners, their families and the staff at college. Student council representative delivered our donation to the Newton Aycliffe food bank.
Christmas at Thornbeck College
The learners at Thornbeck enjoyed a festive filled day of Christmas films, a buffet lunch, party and activities. We turned our sports hall into a cinema with hire of an inflatable screen and all of the learners enjoyed their Christmas buffet lunch and activities. Although celebrations have been a little different this year it was great to see everybody with smiles on their faces and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
Thornbeck College has recognised and celebrated the hard work of all their super star support staff. Our young people and adults surprised support staff today by presenting them with personalised certificates and goody bags to say a huge thank you for all that they do!
Well done to everyone who participated in our Scarecrow Competition.
The results are in and we can confirm that the winner is Joe who designed and created the Chaser Jenny Ryan from the The Chase quiz show. Well done to Joe!
Today the horticulture group unearthed a litter of baby rabbits who are living in one of our raised beds
https://www.ne-as.org.uk/forms/scarecrow-competition
Keeping in contact with each other as a team and with our learners and families is crucial to keeping our college community connected as well as contributing to keeping everyone’s spirits up. Learners and staff participated in a Bake Off Competition where participants were required to get themselves in the kitchen and practice their culinary skills. There were some fabulous entries. Well done to everyone for taking part.
Joe has made a COVID-19 Time Capsule to bury in the garden for somebody to find in the future. Joe included a range of resources in his Time Capsule to represent himself including a newspaper article explaining all about COVID-19, photographs of himself and family, activities that he has been enjoying at home and pictures of his favourite books and television programmes. I’m sure whoever finds this in the future will be fascinated by the items that you have included in your box Joe, well done!
Independent Living Skills
"Whilst working from home, Thomas Barton has been making bread, tidying his bedroom, washing up, vacuuming, dusting, window cleaning, cooking pasta, bolognese, lemon cake, bread and watering plants"
“Joe has been making the most of the current situation and has been taking part in lots of activities at home!
He has been enjoying baking bread and pastries with Mum, making lunch for the family and even successfully made risotto for tea one night! He is enjoying spending time in the garden planting seeds and is helping out around the home too; filling the dishwasher, pegging the washing out and sorting the recycling. It’s lovely to see you transferring the skills you have learned at college to the home environment Joe, keep up the good work!”
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I am writing to provide information with regards the coronavirus infection.
Government guidance to colleges and the situation at North East Autism Society
The College receives daily updates from the Department for Health and Social Care, Public Health England, and the Department for Education. This guidance is published at the links below:
There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus from any learners or staff attending our College. If a learner begins to develop the symptoms of coronavirus (fever, cough, difficulties in breathing), parents should use the NHS 111 service to seek medical advice. In the event of a confirmed case, the NHS and Public Health England will advise parents on the course of action to take, and where necessary, will contact the College to advise us on the actions that should be taken in and College.
The Department for Education has launched a helpline for learners, parents and staff to raise questions about the coronavirus outbreak:
The Society’s Senior Management Team is reviewing the government’s guidance daily, and will take all necessary action to protect the learners and staff of the College, taking advice from Public Health England, the National Health Service, and the Departments for Health and Social Care and Education.
Communication with parents
The College will continue to keep parents and carers informed through the College website, text messages and through written communications, acting on the advice of the relevant public bodies. To do this, it is vital that we have accurate and up-to-date contact details for all parents.
Communication with learners
All learners have been spoken to regarding good hand hygiene (hand washing techniques) and the NHS ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’ advice. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recommended the use of e-Bug to teach students about hygiene.
Information is displayed around the College to remind learners of this. Hand sanitisers are already installed around the college. Tissues are also available in every learning enviornment.
The message of the College to learners has been one of reassurance, and we trust that parents will support this message. We are able to recognise that some information shared on social media is inaccurate but young people and learners may struggle to interpret some of these messages correctly. The BBC News website has published a helpful guide for parents speaking to young people about the current situation:
College closure
We will provide further details regarding school closure should this happen but please be reassured that this will be a last resort and we will only close if the Government officially instruct us to do so.
Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our learners, employees as well as the continuity of our services.
We will continue to comply with government and public health organisation guidance in order to keep everyone safe.
If you have any further queries regarding this situation, please contact the College directly at [email protected] and your email will be forwarded to an appropriate member of staff.
Thornbeck participated in National Careers Week which provided learners with impartial Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to support them to make well-informed decisions about their future. A range of activities were planned to support learners to develop their knowledge in relation to available opportunities for life after college. Activities learners participated in included:
A range of activities were planned across the curriculum to promote Safer Internet Day, with the theme: Together for a better internet. Learners participated in the follow:
Participating in the event provided an opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community.
Groups participated in activities to raise awareness of the LGBT community. Learners researched LGBT history, identifying the meanings behind the colours of the flag and celebrity figures who actively support LGBT.
Sessions supported learners to understand different relationships, improving their social awareness and understanding of a range of relationships
Learners at Thornbeck celebrated Chinese New Year, Learners participated in a range of activities including visiting the Oriental Museum, enjoying Chinese Food on their lunch menu, and participating in Chinese traditions such as decorating the dining area with lanterns, identifying the purpose of red envelopes and identifying which animal they are using their birth year which has increased learners knowledge of equality and diversity and social inclusion.
Learners have participated in activities to raise awareness and learn about Australia Day on 26th January 2020. This has included identifying Australia on the world map, discussions about some of Australia’s signature animals, places and food, and researching information about the current bush fires. Next week the learners will have the opportunity to donate money towards this cause at a small in-house bake sale on Wednesday 5th February, supporting the development of their awareness of the larger global community.
Learners participated in recycling and sustainability week. The college utilised used food tin donations from parents, which the learners have recycled into personalised money tins to use at home as part of their Tutorials sessions. This has increased the learners awareness of recycling and sustainability, as well as gave focus to budgeting and saving money.
Recycling an sustainability was also a focus across vocational areas. Woodwork have made bird feeders from recycled tea pots, cups, wine bottles and wine glasses. Confectionery requested old Christmas cards from staff and learners which will be used as fudge packaging. Cosmetics completed research and identified a soap charity that sends soap from large companies such as hotels to 3rd world countries. Learners have made a range of soaps to support the charity.
Learners and staff at Thornbeck collected a selection of festive treats to donate to the Giving Tree Appeal an organisation who works with parents and families in very difficult situations, many of these families are unable to afford to buy Christmas gifts for their children. The Giving Tree ensures these children do not go without a gift or treats at Christmas.
Learners looked at voting and the UK elections as part of their Tutorials sessions. Learners increased their knowledge about what voting is and the process required to register and make a vote. Easy read manifestos were provided to increase learner understanding in relation to democracy and rule of law.
Learners at Thornbeck celebrated International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) during tutorials sessions this week.
Learners researched different disabilities and matched ways to support individuals to access equal opportunities. Learners presented work in a range of different formats to share their information with the college. Learners took part in activities such as blind football and used resources from Guide Dogs for the Blind to simulate what it may be like for people with a visual impairment and communicated using Makaton to support individuals with extra communication needs.
Catalogue
Order Form
This week at Thornbeck College the learners have been busy getting products ready for the Society Christmas Market. Contributing their part to the wider NEAS community, learners have been busy working in teams to make festive wreaths, chocolates, cosmetic products, candles and Christmas decorations. These products will also be available at Thornbeck College’s Winter Fayre on Wednesday 11th December at 1:30pm.
This half term the learners have been making and preparing Halloween decorations for the college. The learners researched, planed and created a range of bespoke decorations embedding functional skills and creative design.
The learners arrived in fancy dress, carved their own pumpkins that had been grown on the College Horticulture site and enjoyed a scary disco.
Learners are currently volunteering weekly at RSPB Saltholme, with some learners working on reception or in the shop and others helping around the grounds.
Those working in the grounds help with maintenance jobs around the reserve, such as clearing areas, cutting back shrubs and scarifying grass.
Jessica Hodgson, FE tutor at Thornbeck College said, "Working at the RSPB Saltholme creates opportunities for the students to develop their employability skills and helps to increase their confidence.
"It is great to see them make progress towards their own personal goals."
On Tuesday 15th October learners at Thornbeck participated in Global Hand Washing Day. Learners increased their awareness about the importance of washing their hands and how germs are transferred to their hands by touching everyday objects. Learners identified the stages of effective hand washing, practiced their hand washing technique and used UV germ lotion and UV lights to check their hand washing had been effective. Ensuring they wash their hands appropriately has had a positive impact on their health
On Thursday, 10th October learners and staff at Thornbeck College participated in sessions wearing yellow to support Hello Yellow; a children and young people’s mental health charity on World Mental Health Day.
Learners participated in activities to promote their own mental well-being including planting yellow flowers in planters around the college site, aerobics, muscle relaxation and sensory. They identified emotions through zones of regulation and used a blob tree to identify and explain the emotions of others.
Learners have participated in weekly travel training sessions. They have planned and participated in a range of activities in the community and travelled using various modes of transport. Learners have planned their journeys, requested and paid for their tickets and accessed community facilities. This has supported the development of their independent living, functional maths and communication skills
Learners participated in a range of activities as part of Health and Safety Week. As the Aycliffe site is currently being extended, staff utilised the naturally occurring opportunity as a teaching, learning and assessment resource. Learners identified a range of health and safety signs and their meaning on the building site and met with construction workers and site manager to identify their safety procedures.
Other activities embedded across the curriculum included health and safety checks of the classroom environments, identifying appropriate PPE for work tasks, identifying unsafe practices and appropriate control measures and updated the fire evacuation procedures and displayed this in a range of formats across the College environment
Join our adults and staff at Thornbeck College for a cuppa and cake in support of Macmillan on Friday, 27th September from 2.00 pm. There's also a chance to purchase some handmade products by the adults.
Fay Strong, Vice Principal said; "The development of the horticulture site is proving to be an invaluable resource. The new teaching environment has supported the adults to develop their functional and employability skills. The college has utilised a range of fresh fruit and vegetables the adults have grown within the kitchen environment and fresh produce has been sold to a range of stakeholders."
The adults at the college have also used the flowers they have grown to support their floristry enterprise.
The whole college came together with family and friends to celebrate our end of year achievement awards and summer market. The event was a huge success which allowed learners to celebrate and reflect their achievements from across the year. One learner performed a beautiful rendition of a Bruno Mars song, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!
Certificates were presented for accredited qualification, non-accredited targets and for work experience achievements. The summer market raised a fantastic total of £352.53 from a range of stalls including confectionery, cosmetics, candles, woodwork and horticulture products. Have a fantastic summer Class of 2018-19 from everyone at Thornbeck.