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Events postponed and outlets closed

17th March 2020 by Eluned Watson

Derwen College events postponed Derwen College outlets closed

Derwen College, near Oswestry, has postponed upcoming events and will close its shopping and eating outlets until further notice in response to government advice surrounding Coronavirus.

The specialist further education college in Gobowen has made the difficult decision to postpone events including April’s annual Sponsored Walk and Fun Run, as well as the Summer Fete which was due to take place in May.

The college-run Orangery Restaurant, Garden Café, Hotel 751, Karten Print Shop and Garden Centre and Shop will also close for business from Tuesday, 14th March at 4pm until further notice.

The Gobowen Station Cafe, which is manned by Derwen College staff and students, also closes temporarily from Tuesday, 14th at 3.15pm.

All events, courses, workshops and meetings scheduled to take place at the college over the coming weeks are also postponed.

The College currently remains open to students and continues to follow government guidelines on keeping students and staff safe.

For the most up-date information go to www.visitderwen.co.uk or telephone 01691 661234.

Derwen Dance Crew’s winning performance

11th March 2020 by Eluned Watson

Derwen College’s newly formed Derwen Dance Crew stole the show to win at a dance competition in Wolverhampton.

Derwen Dance Crew (DDC), made up of talented students from the specialist Shropshire college, entered Nexstar dance competition in Wolverhampton. The team performed as a group and with individual performances. They received a win and standing ovations from the audience and professional judges.

The group of 10 students with a range of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) were thrilled to win first prize in the over 16s SEN Street Crew category.

In addition, students Ben Moore-Hill and Billie-Jo Bailey impressed judges when competing against mainstream dance schools. Ben won second place in the over 16s mainstream Street solo. Billie-Jo achieved fifth place in the over 16s mainstream contemporary solo.

The judges were impressed by the high standard of DDC, resulting in two of them handing out the highest possible marks for the group’s performance. The win was made especially incredible as DDC was only launched in January. Students had just six weeks of rehearsal time to learn four group dances.

Derwen College Sports and Activity Maker and dance instructor Opal Trevor assembled the group and supports them in rehearsals and performances. She said she was incredibly proud of their achievements.

She said: The crew have been attending weekly rehearsals and this weekend competed in their first ever Mainstream Street Dance competition in Wolverhampton. They have worked so hard, turning up for rehearsals every week and practising between sessions. Their win was even more remarkable as they were performing alongside groups and individuals who attend professional dance schools.

“The reaction from audience and judges was overwhelming. Everyone was blown away by what these students had achieved. We received standing ovations, there were even tears! Judges described the performance as beautiful, moving and a demonstration of the diversity of dance.”

Individual wins

Student Ben Moore-Hill, from Sale, near Manchester, was delighted to receive a trophy for his performance in the mainstream street dance competition. The Creative Arts student, whose speciality is the ‘freeze frame’ move, said he was very happy with DDC’s success.

“I was emotional and cried happy tears. I was very proud to dance in front of my parents and in memory of my grandma who recently passed away,” he said.

“It felt like I was a professional dancer. I have been dancing a long time and would like to do it as a career. Carrying on my Street Dancing at Derwen College has made me more confident.

Derwen College winner at Wolverhampton street dance competition Nexstar 2020 — Ben was awarded second place in the mainstream over-16s street dance competition.

Ben has been performing street dance since he was at school and said he was pleased to be able to share his skills with Derwen College students .

“Opal has been brilliant. I can’t wait to perform at College Prizegiving in front of everyone.”

Creative Arts student Giverney Blomeley said:

“It’s really amazing. I was nervous on the day, then so happy we won. I was crying happy tears too.

“We only started in January. It has been difficult to learn the routines but we’ve practised hard and worked well together as a group, To help me learn, I videoed routines on my phone so I could practise between rehearsals. Performed four dances mashed together.

Performing Arts student Giverney is now looking forward to dancing at College Prizegiving and has started rehearsals for the College’s big Summer Show.

Competition raffle sponsor Steve Baxter from Sweet Memories in Wolverhampton, was so impressed with the Derwen Crew that he donated the raffle money to DDC to help cover the costs of future competitions. A big thank you to him from DDC and all at Derwen.

High Sheriff rewards outstanding young citizens

11th March 2020 by Eluned Watson

Derwen College students presented with High Sheriff Outstanding Young Citizen awards by High Sheriff Dr Josh Dixey. — James, Sam and Cerys were presented with certificates by Shropshire High Sheriff Dr Josh Dixey.

Three Derwen College students have been rewarded for their hard work and community spirit at a prestigious awards ceremony.

Derwen College students Cerys George, Sam Innes and James Ashworth were nominated for their work in College and the community at The Shropshire High Sheriff’s annual Outstanding Young Citizen Awards.

The event was hosted by Telford College and was attended by the three students from the college for young adults with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and autism. Cerys, Sam and James were all invited individually on to the stage to receive certificates watched on by staff and family.

Student Cerys George, from Shrewsbury, was rewarded for work in the community with sign and dance group Derwen on Tour and storytellers NarraTours. As well as for representing fellow students on the Student Union Board, and for her progress in Performing Arts and independence skills.

James Ashworth, from Abermule, in Powys, was nominated for his progress in the hospitality industry. This included winning first prize in the college-hosted Derwen Skills Live 2019. And for securing an evening work placement at Lepones restaurant in Oswestry.

Retail student Sam Innes, whose family live in London, was praised for his work raising awareness of Derwen College Charity, especially the Agnes Hunt Village project. He took part in activities to raise money for the charity, and spoke to an audience at the Agnes Hunt Village project launch about how living in the bungalows was progressing his independent living skills.

A difference in the community

The Young Citizenship Awards saw High Sheriff Dr Josh Dixey present certificates to school children and college students from across Shropshire who had worked to make a difference in their community.

Telford College Principal and chief executive Graham Guest said:
“This is a wonderful way to highlight and celebrate the many endeavours carried out by young people in our communities.
“Whether it’s voluntary work and community activities such as fundraising, youth work and mentoring, or environmental projects caring for a family member or being involved in a youth council, there are all kinds of reasons why young people deserve to be recognised.”

High Sheriff Dr Josh Dixey said:
“This prestigious event has been running for a number of years, and the awards are given in recognition of excellence and outstanding attitudes and actions among young people.”

National Careers Week

8th March 2020 by Eluned Watson

Derwen College celebrated National Careers Week, from 2nd to 7th March with a host of fun and informative activities to support students towards future employment.

Students at the specialist further education college for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) took on work-related tasks and challenges in Horticulture, Retail, Hospitality and Housekeeping, and Performing Arts.

The week also saw the official launch of a ground-breaking new CV Builder ‘app’ that the college has developed to enable people with SEND to create and send their own CV to potential employers, as well as the launch of the College’s Skills Live @Derwen 2020 Competition which take place on 23rd June.

See more pictures from across the College in our Facebook Careers Week album.

Derwen College CV Builder app developed with Hunter Bevan and Marches LEP funding — Derwen College’s new CV builder app which is supporting students to independently create and send a CV to potential employers.

Poster competition

Students were invited to take part in a poster competition highlighting the work and independence skills they had learnt with us. The ‘I couldn’t, but now I can …” competition received 47 entries which demonstrated a huge variety of skills. Themes varied across employment, independence and social skills. They included skills such as using a till in the Orangery Restaurant, learning lines for a performance, making sandwiches, using kitchen knife skills, folding clothes and going out to work in the community.

Of the competition, Derwen College Governor Barbara Court said: “It was inspiring to see such a large number of entries covering a diverse range of skills and knowledge that students recognised they had acquired whilst at College. These were transferable skills that will serve students in their work and independence skills at College, and in the future.”

A Future Aspirations workshop explored the key concept of ‘hope,’ to help battle anxiety and stress devised from the anticipation of post college life. Resources and video material were provided by #NCW to help inspire and challenge positives expectations and aspirations for career development.

Supporting students towards employment

Derwen College works hard to equip students with the skills and tools necessary to support them towards employment. We have an on-site restaurant, café, print shop, Garden Centre, Shop and mini Hotel 751 that offer work experience for students. Derwen also works with national and local businesses to provide relevant off-site work placements for students, preparing them for employment when they return to their home area.

With technical support from app developers Hunter Bevan Ltd, the college has created and developed innovative new apps to further support students into work. We have developed a suite of apps as part of a ‘Support Work’ project, funded via the Marches LEP Growth Deal with Government for capital skills projects.

The College is now looking forward to further promoting work skills during Skills Live @Derwen competitions on 23rd June. The College is hosting competitions to showcase student skills for potential employees across the UK, with entries welcomed from this week. For more information visit www.derwen.ac.uk/competitions/

Derwen College Quality Manager Samantha Brown said that the College is constantly supporting students in the pursuit of suitable employment, and they were pleased to focus on National Careers Week.

She said, “Careers Week provides a platform to celebrate the wider world of work. By embracing an across-college approach to career guidance and providing an insight into future work or learning possibilities through positive and fun exploration, we hope to empower students to develop and express their own aspirations.”

Proud to be Makaton Friendly at Derwen College

21st February 2020 by Eluned Watson

Derwen College Head of Speech and Language Therapy Julie Hawkins is a Senior Makaton Tutor, and a firm believer in the power of Makaton.

She explains why Derwen is a proud advocate of Makaton.

Derwen College Makaton — Julie Hawkins delivers Makaton training to staff

Derwen College is incredibly proud to be officially Makaton Friendly. Makaton offers students with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), and communication difficulties, a helping hand to be heard.

It is vital that students are understood, and that they be given every opportunity to communicate feelings and needs. Makaton signs and symbols support communication and increase understanding. This helps to extinguish some of the frustrations that students feel at not being understood. Using Makaton, staff can better explain what is expected of students and to communicate clearly when there is an issue.

As a College, we are proud to be able to offer Makaton expertise. I am a Senior Makaton Tutor, and also have a team of two trained Regional Makaton Tutors and six Local Makaton Tutors.

The college is delighted to host The Makaton Charity’s Study Day on 21st February. It is an opportunity to showcase our work with Makaton.

Support Work apps

We are particularly pleased to showcase ground-breaking ‘Support Work’ apps. The apps, which can be used on a tablet or mobile phone, support students to access work, using Makaton to prompt students. Apps which have been developed with help from The Makaton Charity include a CV Builder App, and Working in a Premier Inn app. We believe that these apps are the first of their kind to help students with SEND in accessing work. Using images, video, words or Makaton sign options, students are guided step-by-step towards creating a CV. Hospitality students working in the college’s training hotel and at work placements are prompted gradually through ‘routes’ on how to make up a Premier Inn guest bedroom.

Having our own Makaton Tutors means that all staff have access to mandatory Makaton taster and the new Level 1 and Level 2 training. Symbols and signs are used in reception, food outlets and garden shop. Symbols are used as signage, on posters, college leaflets, student timetables and on the college website. Makaton can be embedded throughout learning and independence skills. It is not only for students with specified communication or SALT needs.

Spreading the Makaton word

As well as facilitating the use of Makaton across college, Derwen is keen to spread the word locally, regionally and nationally. As a Senior Tutor, I am asked to train new Makaton tutors for The Makaton Charity. At Derwen College, we are able to teach Makaton to groups in the community or to invite groups to come to us for workshops. Derwen runs courses on or off site, and has visited schools, groups and businesses. The college has hosted and led Makaton Taster Sessions which have included teaching horse-related signs at a Riding Centre and festive signing for potential Santa’s Grotto employees.

The college also raises awareness of Makaton with our fabulous sign and dance group DOT (Derwen on Tour). They have performed at events including the National Eisteddfod, Christmas light switch-ons and a Premier Inn national conference, bringing Makaton to as wide and diverse an audience as possible.

We look forward to welcoming Makaton delegates to the college this month. And, to continuing to support The Makaton Charity in creating a more inclusive environment for everyone.

Nest Box Week at Derwen’s Garden Centre

13th February 2020 by Eluned Watson

Derwen College National Nestbox Week — Retail students have created a Derwen Nest Box Week display and a special bird lovers’ hamper.

We’re marking Nest Box Week at Derwen College Garden Centre with shopping, activities and special offers for fans of Britain’s much-loved feathered friends.

There’s something for ornithologists of all ages to do over the school half-term holiday week. Because, at Derwen College Garden Centre Shop, we’re celebrating Nest Box Week from Monday 17^th February to Sunday, 23rd February 2020.

We’re calling on young ‘twitchers’ to enter into the spirit of National Nest Box Week with a bird-spotting competition of our own. So, there will be five metal robins hidden around the shop for you to find. Every person who manages to identify all five will receive a sweet treat. Then all entries will be entered into a prize draw to win a special mini Nest Box Week hamper.

The shop is also offering 10% off the college’s upcycled birdboxes. These birdboxes were created by students as part of their work experience. There’s also a ‘buy one get one free’ offer on bags of bird food. So shoppers can to keep bird feeders and bird tables stocked through until spring.

Bird spotting

Over the winter months, Derwen College staff and students have been filling bird feeders outside the Garden Centre. Because of our effort we have spotted many regular visitors. These include two robins, a couple of plump pigeons, Great Tits, jackdaws and a little Jenny wren.

Garden Centre Shop commercial supervisor Sharon Jones says the team have enjoyed getting to know their winged visitors.

“We have lots to do over the half term week for bird lovers. We’d love shoppers to come and join in the competition, support birds in their own gardens, and spot some of the regular birds who visit the Derwen bird feeders. We even have a huge buzzard who regularly flies over the football field. We think he’s after the moles.”

Derwen College commercial areas provide work placements for students with special educational needs and disabilities. The site offers a Garden Centre and Shop, Garden Café with outdoor play area, Orangery Restaurant and a popular Woodland Walk.

National Nest Box Week is an annual event that takes place every year from the 14th to 21st February. It has been running for over 20 years and is now an important part of the ornithological calendar. St Valentine’s Day was chosen for the start of National Nest Box Week as it’s the traditional date when birds pair up for the new breeding season.

SEND

Events postponed and outlets closed

Derwen College, near Oswestry, has postponed upcoming events and will close its shopping and eating outlets until further notice in response to government advice surrounding Coronavirus.