Builth Wells High School
About the school
Builth Wells High School serves the town of Builth Wells and a sizeable rural area of mid Powys. There are currently 50 pupils on roll aged 11 - 18 with 130 in the sixth form.
Staff involved in delivering WBQ
| Helen Evans | WBQ co-ordinator |
| Ionwen Spowage | Head of Sixth Form, Key Skills and PSE |
| Helen Evans | Tutor |
| Wendy Thomas | Tutor |
| Colin Rees | Deputy Head |
Students
All sixth form students follow an obligatory 'enrichment ' programe in the expectation that this will led to accreditation in the WBQ at the end of the two-year course.
Of special note...
PSE
The school has been deemed by the WJEC team to have been successful in the delivery of PSE.
The whole year 12 group is timetabled for 'Welsh Bac enrichment' on Wednesday afternoons for two lessons of 50 minutes each. The 'enrichment' is organised on a three week cycle, with PSE allocated one of these. The programe is suffiiently flexible to allow for visits etc.
Opportunities for Community Participation are provided in the school context - important in a rural area. Example activities include:
The PSE topics in the programme were arrived at after consultation with years 10 & 11 students before the course was instigated. Thus the interests of both first and second generation students have been influential in determining the programme.
The PSE programme deliberately employs a range of visits, speakers and projects necessitating a variety of responses and activities by students.
The students were appreciative of the learning opportunities afforded through the PSE topics that were not available in their optional studies e.g. buddy system with year 8 pupils, presentations to lower school pupils on bullying and research skills involved in preparing for AM speaker.
The PSE programme is carefully structured and delivered with set tasks. In the early days of implementation with the first group a much more laissez-faire approach prevailed with students expected to determine appropriate tasks to accomplish a given subject. The result was unsatisfactory with students found to have neither the experience nor maturity to cope with this open curriculum structure.
A range of learning approaches is needed to complete PE tasks. This is evidenced by the planning sheet and student portfolios. Those recorded included:
Linkages
The students were aware of the links between PSE and WEW in particular, and most of the wider key skills and these two elements. They had used the same activity or experience to provide evidence of different aspects and, as such, were aware of the linkages across the course. There was particular evidence in log books to show linkage between PSE (community participation) and WRE on location in America. In at least one case this was also used as the basis of the II.
However, the students interviewed, whilst appreciating the linkage across the WBQ course as a whole, did not view it as a totally unifying experience with main Key Skills in particular seen as a somewhat separate activity, even though there had been some links with other elements.
Tracking
Log books are simple but appropriate to task and comprehensive in recording achievements. Tutors claimed that the timetable structure allowed them to monitor students’ completion of logbooks on a frequent basis and allowed time for students to keep to the recording schedule and not fall behind.
Major cross curriculum influence has been in the identification of key skills opportunities in all optional subjects and the responsibility of all sixth form teachers in the assisting of students in the recognition and recording of these skills.
More effective and efficient systems to record and coordinate data on student progress to facilitate the mentoring process have been developed as a direct result of the demands of the WBQ. The initial electronic system proved too complex for ease of use and was abandoned early in the project in favour of the current paper based model.
External agencies
One of the most important resources contributing to both PSE and other WBQ elements in the view of staff has been the extensive use of external agencies and expertise. This has not only been in the delivery of units but an involvement in the writing and planning of key elements from an early stage. Evidence was available from students log books of the contribution of external sources such as Careers Wales, Duke of Edinburgh, Welsh AM, schools in Australia and USA, Theatre Powys, partner primary schools and national projects e.g. Healthy Eating.
Tutorial Support
The tutorial structure was strengthened during the implementation of the project. The timetable was reorganised for the second generation so that tutors were scheduled to be with their groups every week. Because of this, they were able to assume a leading role in the delivery of PSE, including compilation of portfolios. As a result, more students have completed and recorded tasks to time.
WBQ tutors were selected because of their quality in a traditional pastoral role with post-16 students as well as for their positive support of the WBQ concept. WBQ and PSE coordinators provided plans, resources and guidance to tutors so that they can guide, mentor and enthuse students rather than have to be experts themselves on every PSE topics.
As tutors become increasingly knowledgeable about the requirements of all aspects of the WBQ, they are able to recognise and advise their students on the links between elements.
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