The Rural Dimension

1

• The Rural Dimension
• What is it?
• An element of the Specialist Schools Initiative
• Not a separate specialism but an additional
  curricular dimension which can be added to any
  specialism

2

• The Rural Dimension
• How is the initiative managed?
• Expert Panel - with members from across a broad
  sweep of the sector
• National Headteachers Steering Group
  representative Heads from involved schools
• Small Team of SSAT staff

3

• the Network of Schools involved with the Rural
  Dimension programme?
• 21 accredited schools with the number growing
  rapidly
• Over 50 associated schools with increasing
  interest from others
• Will all feature on the SSAT website with one
  page profiles later this year.

4
What is expected of Schools with a Rural
Dimension? Specialist Schools with a Rural
Dimension will provide their pupils with
opportunities to increase their awareness and
understanding of the countryside as a living,
working environment.
5

• What experiences will schools with a Rural
  Dimension be expected to provide for their
  students?
• Schools with a Rural Dimension will both
• provide young people with practical opportunities
  to use their environment as a context for
  learning, and
• Opportunities to study rural issues and themes
  across the curriculum.

6

• What subjects will schools with a Rural Dimension
  be expected to cover?
• They will be expected to cover such subjects as
• Management of the land
• Environmental Stewardship
• Rural Businesses and Livelihoods, and
• Our Natural and Cultural Heritage.

7

• What will appear in the Curriculum of schools
  with a Rural Dimension?
• Schools with a Rural Dimension will have a
  curriculum which
• Exploits the school grounds as contexts for
  teaching and learning
• Provides opportunities for learning about living
  things in both natural and managed environments
• Supports the development of environmental, social
  and economic responsibility amongst young people
• Encourages good health, healthy eating and
  healthy lifestyles
• Is enhanced through partnerships with land and
  environment businesses
• Provides work-based and work-related learning
  opportunities for young people
• Uses a range of learning styles to ensure high
  levels of pupil achievement

8
What will appear in the Curriculum of schools
with a Rural Dimension? This is probably best
illustrated by looking at one school and its
programme. Health warning! It should however be
borne in mind that this is an example only and is
neither fully inclusive of all aspects nor
totally representative of the approaches of
schools as a whole. Kirk Hallam Community
Technology College
9

• Kirk Hallam Community Technology College
• Kirk Hallam is an 11-16 Specialist Technology
  College of c.1100 students situated in Ilkeston
  in south east Derbyshire.
• It has a catchment which part urban and part
  rural but only a small minority of students are
  from truly rural backgrounds.
• When it was re-designated as a specialist school
  in late 2005 it also took on Vocational Education
  as a second specialism.
• At the same time it bid for and achieved Rural
  Dimension accreditation. It had however been
  involved in the Rural Dimension initiative for
  some time.

10

• Kirk Hallam Community Technology College
• The main features of its programme are
• Land-based and Environmental courses up to level
  2
• A Horticultural Unit including polytunnel,
  greenhouse, raised beds, Herb garden and Japanese
  garden
• Egg production unit 30 hens
• Animal work cattle and sheep carried out weekly
  on a local farm
• Cross-curricular commitment to Environmental
  Education
• Whole-school programme of Outdoor Education for
  all students
• Strong Healthy Eating element in PSHE
• Contributions from an Enthusiastic Geography
  Department
• An Annual Community Horticultural Show with
  100classes
• Good community and business links
• Good curricular links with a local land-based
  college

11
Using a range of learning styles to ensure high
levels of pupil achievement students enjoying
practical learning as they work on their raised
beds in the Horticultural unit
12
Supporting the development of environmental,
social and economic responsibility amongst young
people Students proudly photographed in the new
greenhouse they helped to construct. Indeed
students have played a major role in all
planning, design and construction tasks relating
to on-site facilities.
13
Providing work-based and work-related learning
opportunities for young people Students working
on a local farm. Here they are about to check a
Longhorns feet. They also learn how to
prepare and show Longhorn cattle at local, county
and indeed the Royal Show.
14
Supporting the development of environmental,
social and economic responsibility amongst
young people Team Building as part of
PHSE. Students working in teams constructing a
raft to be sailed on the River Derwent.
15
Delivering the Rural Dimension Through a Whole
School Outdoor Education Programme Students
taking part in a Caving expedition in the Peak
District. Other activities include walking,
abseiling, camping and canoeing. All students
take part in a general programme in KS3, with
more focussed and advanced activities for
selected groups in KS4.
16
Exploiting the school grounds as a resource for
teaching and learning Students working on a
project to plant copses of trees in the School
grounds. Other features developed by students
include bulb banks and a wildlife pond, whilst
advantage is taken by other subjects of the large
lake science and geography and an area of
ancient meadowland and the remains of the
Nutbrook Canal history.
17

• Supporting the development of environmental,
  social and economic responsibility amongst young
  people
• Students have applied their skills in the local
  community, often through links with Groundwork
  Trust.
• students were involved in the construction of the
  willow screen at Straws Bridge last year.
• This year 2 students helped to survey the
  seasonal wetlands area, also at Straws Bridge
  and 50 students were involved in planting the
  area.
• The school has recently assisted Groundwork
  Trust with coppicing at Pioneer Meadows in Kirk
  Hallam work that links directly to the schools
  tree planting work.

18
GNVQ students at Kirk Hallam Community
Technology College constructing raised rose beds
in the School Herb Garden. Construction of this
garden - which also included a herb ladder, a
potager, two hop towers, a bee and butterfly
garden, separate features for both mint and
thyme, areas, hard landscape and fencing - formed
just one of the 6 units of work in their course!
19
Learning is enhanced through partnership with
land and environment businesses The
completed Herb Garden It was officially opened by
Jan Greenland, Council Member Of the Herb
Society. The school has close links with The
Herb Society, has received practical support from
it, and has featured in its publications and on
its website.
20
Encouraging good health, healthy eating and
healthy lifestyles Produce from the
Horticultural Unit and the Herb Garden are used
by staff and students in their Food Technology
lessons.
21
Delivering the Rural Dimension Through
Geography GCSE Geography students on their
Annual fieldtrip to Bangor in North Wales
22

• The Rural Dimension
• What is the national programme of events ?
• An Annual Conference
• A programme of Regional Workshops for
  practitioners
• Regional Network events in early stage

23

• The First Rural Dimension Conference, March 2006
  at Chatsworth
• Run in conjunction with the Devonshire
  Educational Trust, offering topical keynote
  presentations along with a wide range of
  workshops covering such topics as
• Farm visits and farm-based work experience
• Small animal care
• Developing qualifications in land-based courses
• Delivering the Rural Dimension through the
  Outdoor Classroom
• Increased Flexibility programmes 14-16
• Land-based Enterprise activities
• Education for Sustainable Development
• Ecoschools
• Promoting Learning Partnerships
• Next Conference July 2007!

24

• Regional Workshop Programme 2006/07
• 5 Workshop Days from July 2006 through to March
  2007
• Taking place in Somerset, Northumberland, West
  Sussex, Cheshire and Coventry
• School-based with Schools programme and
  facilities featured.
• Feedback/consultation on the Specialised Diploma
• Two workshops with presentations and sharing of
  good practice on how rural dimension programmes
  are/can be delivered through different subjects
  e.g. land-based, science, geography, leisure and
  tourism.

25

• The Rural Dimension
• International Links
• Links initially with Australian schools and
  Teacher Associations
• Operating at both a school-to-school level and a
  central SSAT-to-Teacher Association level
• Objective is to share experiences and good
  practice, learning from each other
• Aim is to widen the scope of the initiative to
  include other countries where the SSAT has active
  links such as South Africa, and to involve
  schools in Developing Countries.

26

• The Rural Dimension
• Regional Networks
• We are at an early stage in establishing regional
  networks of schools with pilots having started in
  both the East and West Midlands
• Efforts will be made to launch further Networks
  at the Regional Workshop events over the coming
  year
• Land-based Colleges will be welcomed into these
  networks and hopefully they will help to
  strengthen and expand the links which already
  exist.