What is ASDAN?
ASDAN stands for Alternative Schemes Development Accredited Network. It has awarding body status and provides educational opportunities for young people. It helps learners to develop their personal and social attributes through their awards and qualifications. Qualifications can be awarded through a series of practical activities and students can gain alternative academic qualifications, instead of or in addition to GCSE, Btec and A Level courses. It offers courses to provide for personal skill development, work-related learning, foundation learning, volunteering, supporting diplomas and special educational needs. These qualifications contribute to the development of key skills that are valued by further education establishments and future work employers. If you have further questions about ASDAN that we haven't been able to answer for you on this website, why not check out the official website at: www.asdan.org.uk
ASDAN at Thomas Tallis
Here at Thomas Tallis the students are offered ASDAN in a variety of ways such as Urban Farming, CoPE, ACE Club, Gifted & Talented and Further Key Skills. The courses are solely coursework based, which means all work is put together in a folder and assessed by a moderator.
"We believe that developing a clear and coherent framework for alternative accreditationis important for learners of all abilities, and is a central pillar of raising attainment and standards across the school. Allowing students to credit learning beyond the classroom, to accredit their development of 'softer' but equally vital skills is something that is both a motivator, as well as key elements of supporting students achievements across Key Stage 3-5. At Thomas Tallis we intend to provide a clear pathway using the ASDAN programme to do this, so that students can earn credits in Key Stage 3 that they can use in qualification higher up in the school. This means we can operate a curriculum that is both appropriate and rich for the full range of learners. We have had clear successes already with students in Year 9 completed a CoPE Level 2 and as such achieving a GCSE Grade B equivalent, and students moving onto CoPE and WKS (Wider Key Skills) Programmes in Years 10-11. We need to embed this more thoroughly and ensure that more students have an entitlement to this kind of learning now and into the future. This means building on our successes so far and growing our offer into Key Stage 3 in the first place and then cultivating a greater provision in the Post-16 sector so that the students have a natural pathway that they can flourish through at appropriate points in their school career"
- D. Greig, Deputy Headteacher at Thomas Tallis |
"So many people ask me what is ASDAN and why do you do it? Well simply put ASDAN programmes and qualifications blend activity based curriculum enrichment with a frame work for development, assessment and accreditation of skills for learning, skills for employability and skills for life. ASDAN is also a way of recognising and accrediting the soft skills that colleges and employers are increasing looking for in young adults. These are skills our students use on a daily basis but don’t realise that they have Problem Solved, Worked With Others and Improved Their Own Learning in almost every lesson. Why do I do it? Well because I enjoy this alternative way of teaching, by letting students plan their own learning and sometimes making mistakes has a great impact when they reflect on how they can adapt plans and review the processes. Some of the challenges I have set for students range from running the school allotment to training in first aid, with a little indoor kurling and rocket making thrown in for good measure. It is always great to see the group encourage each other in the challenges and reflect on the learning processes. I am really proud of the fact that these groups have for the past ten years achieved 100% pass rate and this year almost all of my year 11 groups achieved over 3 GCSE B grade equivalents. The first G&T group I trialled a combination of awards with all achieved the cope level 2 and then the wider key skills level 2 in less then a year and this gave them all 3 GCSE B grades. The ASDAN courses we currently run are the Activities Award with Peer Tutoring, the Sports and Fitness Award, Bronze and Silver awards, Cope Award, Wider Key skills, Personal and Social Development. We will soon trial the Football award and some of the SEN preparatory programmes. If you have any enquiries about the ASDAN courses in Thomas Tallis then feel free to contact me via our contact page"
-J. Dowling, ASDAN Co-Ordinator at Thomas Tallis
-J. Dowling, ASDAN Co-Ordinator at Thomas Tallis
ASDAN aims
The aims of the Qualifications are: * To help you to develop and demonstrate a range of skills * To help you gain credit for the things you have learnt from a wide variety of activities that have been undertaken inside and outside of formal education The Qualifications can: * Recognise your personal achievements * Help you to manage your own thinking * Broaden your experience * Develop your employability skills and personal efectiveness * Help you build your record of achievement * Add to your GCSE/Btec/A Level qualifications |
To gain the Qualifications you must:
* Take responsibility for planning, organising and carrying out a number of activities or challenges
* Develop and provide evidence of working with others, improving own learning and performance and problem solving
* Develop and provide evidence of the skills of research, discussion and presentation
* Produce evidence of your achievements in a Portfolio (file or folder)
* Take responsibility for planning, organising and carrying out a number of activities or challenges
* Develop and provide evidence of working with others, improving own learning and performance and problem solving
* Develop and provide evidence of the skills of research, discussion and presentation
* Produce evidence of your achievements in a Portfolio (file or folder)
If you would like to know what employers think about ASDAN and potential pathways please see our 'Opportunities through ASDAN' page or click here:
http://thomastallisasdan.weebly.com/opportunities-through-asdan.html
http://thomastallisasdan.weebly.com/opportunities-through-asdan.html