17 June 2011 - SCOLA Principal's visit to French Level 6 class

SCOLA's Principal, Saboohi Famili, made a big impression on loyal SCOLA French students (some have attended classes at SCOLA for over 20 years)when she visited their class on Friday. Comments from the students included : "We are very appreciative of your approach to SCOLA's staff and students".

Of their tutor, Daniele de Mori Calderon, they said that 'such a teacher is priceless!"

It is wonderful to know that these students have been enriched by attending classles at SCOLA and thanks to Daniele for providing such inspirational teaching!

15 June 2011 - Signature Teacher of the Year awards 2011

SCOLA is delighted that Casper Dyne, a teacher at Overton Grange High School and SCOLA British Sign Language Level 2 (BSL) tutor has won the Signature - excellence in communication with deaf people - Regional (South East) Teacher of the Year award. Teachers can make all the difference to a learning experience and this award recognises those who through their drive and enthusiasm, classroom commitment and high-quality teaching have expanded provision, improved access or achieved consistently outstanding results in our qualifications. Regional winners will be entered for the national Teacher of the Year award which will be presented at the evening awards ceremony in London in November.

Congratulations, Casper, on this outstanding achievement!

Saboohi Famili
Principal

14 June 2011 - STEPS & Ways to Work - putting our students to work

Following on from our recent successful bid for “Effective Support for the Journey from Worklessness to Sustained Employment in Sutton”, we have been putting our students to work in more ways than one. We have to help people on their journey to work establishing good partnership links, paperwork and training programmes in the process.

A pack has been put together by Jan & Jo that comes under the title ‘STEPS – Sutton and Training Employment Providers’. The pack includes a series of individual inserts from a range of local partners who are all working together to help those seeking work to become aware of the many ‘Ways to Work’. It focuses on Advice, Employment and Training options and opportunities on the path to gaining employment.

AS Level Graphic Design students were offered the opportunity of working and inputting on this live brief to help them gain an insight into how a real job progresses. 7 students took part. This showed great enthusiasm and dedication from these students as they were working on their final exam projects at the same time and the workshops were extra to their normal class times.

It was felt that the pack needed to be user friendly, engaging, interesting and accessible to a wide variety of people. It also needed to have a professional feel without being too wordy.

Initially the students each designed some STEPS logo options and the best solution was selected. They then worked on colour choices, possible content and suitable quotations to include. Much consideration was given to the layout and folding methods of the pack and the inserts. The idea of a game of snakes and ladders relating to finding work was included to lighten the feel of the pack. The digital artwork needed to be set up in the correct colours for print, images and logo elements in the correct file formats, with cutter guides, mock ups and proofs supplied for the printer to work from.

I hope you will agree that the students have done a fantastic job. We would like to thank them so much for giving their time, creative and technical skills plus enthusiasm to this project.

Please ask Jan if you would like a pack. They will be going out to all of the partners in the Ways to Work project together with libraries and other suitable distribution points. We will also be looking to others who may want to place additional inserts. Carshalton College has indicated interest for their Apprenticeship programme. If you think of other suitable contributors, let us know.

14 June 2011 - Quilts4london

Sutton College of Learning (SCOLA) in Sutton, Surrey, have been making pennants to support Quilts4london. This project has inspired many students at the college who have enjoyed designing and making the pennants. 80 pennants have been made and they are currently on display in the Sutton Library. The majority of the pennants have been made by SCOLA Quilters who attend Patchwork and Quilting courses at the Wallington and Sutton centres, with their tutor, Amanda Paul. Other classes in the college have also taken part and pennants have been made by students attending clothesmaking classes and a textile class for adults with learning difficulties.

26 May 2011 - Thanks to team at SCOLA's North Cheam Centre

As Principal of SCOLA I encourage suggestions and comments from both students and staff alike. What a pleasure it was today to receive such wonderful comments regarding Pam and her team at the college’s North Cheam Centre.
One of our tutors had a busy day ahead of her today facilitating professional discussions for the NVQ Business and Administration Levels 2 and 3 at North Cheam. Despite some technology hiccups, she says the day was very successful and that this was mainly due to the help and support given by Pam and her team. The support had not been requested, but was automatically provided.
This ranged from detailed lists of appointment times printed and posted onto the door, assistance with meeting and greeting learners for appointments to providing the tutor with much needed cups of tea along with lots more. The tutor says that the environment that Pam provided ensured that the business centre at North Cheam indeed lives up to its name and provides a professional and supportive environment.
Well done, Pam and the North Cheam team. Your commitment to the college is very much appreciated!

Saboohi Famili
Principal

14 May 2011 - Family Fun Day during Adult Learners Week

Celebrating the 20th Adult Learners' Week in 2011, the initiative continues to be the largest drive for learning of its kind - celebrated in over 55 countries across the world. Founded and co-ordinated by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), Adult Learners' Week in England is backed by thousands of supporters.
During this week-long festival of learning, events take place in workplaces, libraries, cafes, prisons, museums and colleges across the country, motivating adults of all ages and backgrounds to take up new activities. Throughout Adult Learners’ Week the achievements of remarkable adults that have transformed their lives through learning are celebrated.
On Saturday 14th May SCOLA held a Family Fun day as part of Adult Learners’ Week, which was a great success. There was great team spirit on the day – from those involved in making posters, standing in the high street handing out flyers and balloons to those overrun with late enrolments in the enrolment centre. Hundreds of families came to see us and we gave out hundreds of prospectuses too!

The day was a great success and we received positive feedback from our partner family support groups who attended the morning event and also the families attending the morning and afternoon sessions.

Parents, grand-parents and carers had the opportunity to gain advice and information on family matters, find out about new SCOLA courses and have a fun time!

The families also took part in activities ranging from music and dance, making a miniature garden and ‘fake wounds and fun first aid’. This latter course caused much amusement as the children and adults were given very realistic ‘fake wounds’ which caused many heads to turn!

Thanks to everyone who gave so tirelessly of their time to make this event the success it was!

Saboohi Famili
Principal

19 May 2011 - SCOLA Reading Evening at the Wallington Library

When I was invited to attend the Reading Evening being held at the Wallington Library at 7pm on Thursday 19th May, I was very pleased to accept. I am always interested to learn what people think and what they have to say, especially when it comes to our students at SCOLA. There are many ways to express our view of the world and to share the views of others. Reading and writing are certainly powerful ways to share our views.

I was thinking about how I might describe this event to someone else, and was reminded of a project for young readers and writers that a colleague had run. It was called, “Brave New Words”. This seemed to me to encapsulate what the evening was about. Learners had set out on a voyage of discovery. As they develop their skills they open themselves up to the ideas of countless others. At the same time, some may decide to chart their own innermost thoughts either in the form of a poem, a work of fiction or even in the form of an autobiography. It can be a brave step forward, both to commit their ideas to paper (or screen) and even more brave to decide to share them with others.
During the evening students read the pieces that they had written. Some students when starting their course at SCOLA had no reading or writing skills, but were now able to pen touching poems and wonderful stories.

So, bold adventurers of SCOLA, I salute you. I enjoyed hearing what you had to say immensely, and to sharing in your projects as you progress along your journey. I am so grateful for the invitation - it was a great pleasure to have Lord Graham Tope and Cathy McDonough - supporting the event. I’d also like to thank all those who have supported these learners on their journey both in terms of their family and friends, as well as those at SCOLA who are sharing this journey with you.

A very pleasant evening and one that reminds us why we are in the industry we are in and why we do the job we do!

Saboohi Famili
Principal