Guroo At Work In Alternative Education Provision

Click here to download a PDF copy of this functional skills case study.

Objectives

EYS are introducing Functional Skills over an 18 month period, and needed resources that would help in several key areas:
•    Initial assessment of learners’ abilities
•    Embedding Functional Skills into lessons
•    Supporting learner progression
•    Learner engagement
•    Supporting staff transitioning to Functional Skills

Initial Diagnostics

With no body of knowledge to teach and assess, establishing the starting point of new learners is more complex than before, and EYS use a suite of tools along with tutor judgement to arrive at an initial view.

This starts with a paper based literacy and numeracy test which allows staff to level the learner’s handwriting and spelling age. Based on information from the learner’s school or referring establishment, BKSB is used to establish which level the learner is working at for learners aged 16-60, and an EDI attitude assessment may be used if appropriate. An additional EDI assessment may be used for younger learners aged 12-16. Finally, performance in initial guroo tasks confirms or fine tunes the outcome of the diagnostic process.

With all this information to hand, tutors review the initial activities with learners and use this to identify and highlight what will be their short or long term goals.

The Teacher View

EYS teachers are new to Functional Skills, and have found that guroo’s lesson plans, curriculum mappings and content have helped them deliver all the required Functional Skills across the levels in their lessons and schemes of work.

Learner Progression

EYS then link the learner’s goals and targets to Functional Skills by teaching the skills and then doing the guroo challenges and tasks that link with what they have taught.

With this approach, the guroo tasks act as additional practice and provide evidence that learners have successfully mastered the appropriate Functional Skills.

Learners are typically reassessed after 10 weeks to measure improvement.

Guroo in Action

EYS teachers deliver lessons with embedded Functional Skills and use guroo materials to ensure that skills have been successfully acquired and can be used in novel real-life situations.

The immediate feedback built into guroo’s online interactive tasks is used by learners and teachers alike to identify skill gaps and to provide exemplars that support learner progression towards their targets.

The variety of topics and choices of scenarios at different levels means that teachers who are new to Functional Skills can always find materials to support their teaching objectives.

As well as providing content for guided learning, guroo materials are used independently by learners, where the self-contained online tasks give them the opportunity to attempt an activity, get learning feedback and an explanation of the underpinning learning … and then try again to improve the application of their skills.

What Learners Like

“guroo met all the needs of the learners to make sure that they pass their functional skills exams in English, Maths and ICT”

“learners have enjoyed the independent e Learning environment”

“the immediate feedback and the fact that they can have a second chance at a piece of work, and then it is re-marked”

Guroo and You

Guroo Functional Skills resources are already used in hundreds of schools and colleges … and in a wide variety of private training, work based learning, and alternative provision organisations.

These include Education Business Partnerships, offender rehabilitation, specialist trade and occupational training centres, special schools, PRUs and more.

About EYS

EYS is a private sector company with over 250 staff, 26 learning centres and a decade of experience in delivering training nationally across a variety of subject areas.

The company delivers tailored and flexible programmes that meet the needs of learners and businesses alike. Key programmes include:

Entry to Employment / FL
Vocational employment training for those who require additional support to enable personal progression (16-19).

Restart
Vocational employment training for those in years 9, 10 and 11 who have disengaged or are at risk of being excluded from mainstream education.

EYS use guroo to teach in the Foundation Tier as well as across the main curriculum they deliver.