Later, Uniformed Protective Services
‘Learning from Each Other’ – since 1994
Our 6th form course in Public Services came about directly in response to student requests for an option in 6th form which would be different, would be practical, would get students out of the classroom and which would open up opportunities and reflect our local environment.
We first of all offered a Prince’s Trust course, but when we asked students to report to the board of governors, Niall and Amy said that they felt they could tackle a greater challenge.
After much research and heartsearching, we settled on a diploma course in Public Services. The course offered compulsory units in team work, planning and organisational skills. The course also offered optional units in expedition and volunteering which suited our location and circumstances perfectly. The students taking the diploma course had already sat their GCSEs, and the diploma would add four more awards to their tally, as well as allowing anyone who needed to repeat their crucial maths and English GCSE to do so.
The expedition section allowed us to make the most of our glorious situation on Slieve Donard and right beside the sea. Compass work, camping, rucksack packing, map reading, weather watching, route planning etc. all completed, the students headed off into the hills. Practice expeditions set off directly from Shimna, up the Bogie Hill. Donard Park was right beside us for campcraft training and outdoor cooking sessions. Overnights at Meelmore Lodge tested the expeditionary water, while still promising the comfort of a hot shower and a loo.
Then it was out on the real thing. Most years, the expeditioners headed into the hills, but one year, teacher Campbell Mayers capitalised on the water based skills within the group and headed off to Fermanagh for a canoeing expedition. With three qualified powerboaters in the crew and Leanne a qualified sailing instructor, they had plenty of experience to build on.
For Aaron, Cade and Ryan that powerboat unit was the draw, and neighbour Fiona Mullan put the students through their paces as they undertook their inshore powerboat qualification.
Of course developing personal skills was only part of the purpose. The students also volunteered in all sorts of roles. Robbie Mulholland provided the training which allowed the students to carry out essential repairs at the Haughian House: drilling, replacing locks, sweeping out, painting, the works! Students also volunteered with the local community, carrying out a major footfall survey for the council in order to inform planning for the development of Newcastle’s shopping street, traffic arrangements, parking, amenities etc. There were of course also plenty of volunteering opportunities in the school: hosting parent consultation evenings; running a 6th form tea bar; housekeeping in the 6th form common room; providing catering for school events.
Enterprise projects also formed part of the course, and the students organised a highly successful Christmas Fair for our younger students. Another generation of students created a range of decorated mugs to sell, and joined in the Christmas spirt by filling them with sweetie treats.
The other aspect of the course which was ideal for Shimna was the focus on public services. In our home area, we not only had access to the uniformed services, PSNI, Fire Service and Coastguard, but also the many voluntary organisations, RNLI, the Community Rescue Service, Mountain Rescue etc.
The most rewarding of all was our work with Shimna OldScholar Johnny Lynch and the Community Rescue Team. Students who were all set for an active, practical session of rescue skills were taken aback that Johnny’s first session was about the emotional impact of taking part in search and rescue. His own first experience had ended with the discovery of a tragic death. He talked us through the skills of supporting relatives and friends taking part in a search with an uncertain ending, and emphasised the importance of self-care and mutual care for the search and rescue team themselves. First aid skills are of course essential, but so are listening skills and an understanding of the processes of bereavement.
Then of course it was off outside for the active practical session. Johnny took us through the equipment and techniques, throwing lifebelts, using walkie talkies and flares. He challenged us to assess our fitness and to understand the commitment required to effectively search the area between the shore and the treeline, between the RNLI and the Mountain Rescue spheres of responsibility. Most challenging of all, Johnny set up a search and rescue scenario in our grounds. Students faced the reality of painstaking searching and the expectation of finding a person who might need first aid or serious emotional support. We had a happy ending, with our casualty eventually located and first aid successfully administered.
The course allowed for additional extras, such as our Life Choice module, which offered students the challenge of fostering a computerised baby for the weekend. One student’s mother had just given birth to her own real baby, and she did NOT appreciate the computerised baby waking everyone up at 2.00am, but our student just had to do the right thing, change, feed and burp his computerised baby and quell the computerised crying. Lots of phonecalls winged among the student group that weekend as they all faced the reality of a baby’s twenty four hour requirements. Best parent of all was Niall, who shared a photo of himself perched up in bed with his real baby sibling on one side and his computer baby on the other. Niall is now a qualified and highly respected childcare worker!!! Somehow Kevin got in on the computerised baby act, along with the visiting principal of our twin school in France. They weren’t quite sure how their parenting skills had stood the test of time, but everything ended in smiles.
The course contributed so much to the students’ experience, and also to the life of the school and our local community. Regular litter picking was built into the routine. Our course began as a Prince’s Trust qualification, graduated to a Level 2 Diploma in Public Services and to a fully fledged A level equivalent Level 3 BTEC in Uniformed Protective Services. Our students went on to study at Queen’s and at UU, to management positions in local business, to serve in the RNLI, to qualifying in child care, in paramedic science and nursing, to setting up their own business, to joining PSNI, the Fire Service and the Ambulance Service, and to continuing always to make a huge contribution to their local community wherever they live.
