Select subject
Select subject
SQA makes PE qualifications more accessible to disabled school pupils
SQA publishes new guidance to help make PE qualifications more accessible to learners
030924_SQA_Boccia_LaylaMcCloskey_207x120.jpg
SQA makes PE qualifications more accessible to disabled school pupils
--
--
2017
Qualifications
Wednesday 04 September
Barrhead High School pupil Layla McCloskey takes aim in a game of Boccia against Kieran Allen from St Oswald's ALN Secondary School in Castlemilk, Glasgow
With the Paralympics well underway in Paris, SQA has published new guidance outlining the steps schools and colleges can take to help make its National Physical Education qualifications more accessible to learners with physical disabilities.
Working with Scottish Disability Sport, SQA has updated the list of activities young people can be assessed in as part of their PE qualifications at National 3 through to Advanced Higher level.
For the 2024-25 school year, learners can have their performance assessed in Paralympic sports such as Boccia, Goalball, and other wheelchair, powerchair, and parasports activities, which can then contribute towards their final grade.
The guidance issued to schools and colleges confirms that Boccia can be used by candidates with profound physical disabilities, while those with severe visual impairment can be assessed playing Goalball.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport that involves throwing, kicking, or rolling a ball towards a target ball on a court. Boccia is designed to test muscle control and accuracy and is ideal for wheelchair users who play while seated.
Goalball is a team sport developed for blind or visually impaired players, in which a ball containing bells makes a sound when thrown at a goal at the opposing team's end of the court.
SQA worked with Scottish Disability Sport to produce the updated guidance after it received feedback from teachers across the country asking for more to be done to enable disabled learners to study National Qualifications in PE. The update is part of SQA’s ongoing maintenance of its courses, and the views of teachers and learners are an important part of the review process.
Layla McCloskey, a pupil from Barrhead High School, who is undertaking Boccia as part of her National 5 Physical Education course said: ‘I’m so pleased that I’m able to take part in PE this year. I’ve been playing Boccia for a while now, and it’s great that I can do it as part of my qualification. I’m looking forward to having my performance assessed and showing what I can do.’
Mags Paterson, Head of Creative, Hospitality, and Sport at SQA, said: ‘Sport is for everyone, and our ambition is to make Physical Education courses available to as wide a range of learners as we can. By collaborating with Scottish Disability Sport, we’ve provided teachers with the information they need to make sure they are assessing learners’ performance correctly to make sure they’re reaching the appropriate standard for the course.’
‘With the Paralympics now underway in Paris, young people across the country will take inspiration from athletes with a range of disabilities competing in sport at the highest level. We want to ensure that learners like Layla can continue their PE journey as far as they can and receive qualifications that recognise their abilities and achievements.’
Alison Shaw, Education and Learning Manager at Scottish Disability Sport, added: ‘This is a real, tangible step in giving young people with physical disabilities the chance to continue their sporting journey into their senior years at school and beyond. By giving schools and teachers guidance on how they can support their learners with physical disabilities, we can foster lifelong connections with sport and physical activity, and we may even develop future Paralympians along the way.’
The updated guidance, and more information on our National Qualifications in PE, can be found here.
111547
447
04-SEP-2024
Wed, 4 Sep 2024 09:58:00 +0100
NEW
Foundation Apprenticeships give learners a solid platform to work from
Foundation Apprenticeships give learners the opportunity to gain experience of the workplace and achieve a valuable qualification while still being at school.
080824_SQA_FoundationApprenticeships_207x120.jpg
Foundation Apprenticeships give learners a solid platform to work from
8
August
2024
Awards
Thursday 08 August 2024
Foundation Apprentice Sarah-Jane McKeown is pictured with Sarah McKnight (L) and Caroline Bell (R)
Foundation Apprenticeships give learners the opportunity to gain experience of the workplace and achieve a valuable qualification while still being at school. Those are the views of three young people from Dumfries, who have been working towards Foundation Apprenticeships in Creative and Digital Media in S5 and S6.
Foundation Apprenticeships are one of the work-based learning opportunities available to many senior phase learners. This year-to-date has seen 1,138 Foundation Apprenticeships achieved.
For the past year S5 pupil Sarah-Jane McKeown and former S6 pupils Maya Windsor and August Wildner have been working with local employers building their skills and experience and developing an understanding of the demands of the workplace.
Foundation Apprenticeships are a work-based learning opportunity for secondary school pupils usually starting in S5. Young people can spend time out of school with a local employer and complete the Foundation Apprenticeship alongside their more traditional courses like National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers.
Sarah McKnight, Principal Teacher of Foundation Apprenticeships at Dumfries and Galloway Council, believes that learners who undertake a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 or S6 are well prepared for the next stage in their learning as a result of completing the course.
Sarah said: “A Foundation Apprenticeship allows young people to study in class and gain valuable work experience at the same time. Our learners get to take their education training out of school and work closely with an employer.”
Sarah Dalrymple, Director of SDC-Learn – a training provider who assesses the work-based elements of the qualification – says that young people who achieve a Foundation Apprenticeship, develop skills that are highly sought after by colleges, universities, and employers.
Sarah said: “The skills that the young people develop are really important. They have had to go into a workplace, work with other staff and employees, manage their time, and deliver on tasks that they are set. These are all really valuable skills that stand apart from what they’re learning in school and will help them at the next stage in their education or training.”
Sarah McKnight adds: “We’ve found that lots of our learners on the Creative and Digital Media Foundation Apprenticeship have been given unconditional offers from the colleges and universities that they have applied to because of the practical experiences they have developed. It’s really helped them stand out from other applicants.”
Caroline Bell, Director of Clear As A Bell Marketing in Dumfries, is one of the local employers who offered placement opportunities to Foundation Apprentices. Caroline said: “Once I spoke to Sarah McKnight, it was clear there was work to be done promoting Foundation Apprenticeships to other learners across the region, and I was keen to support it where I could.
“I worked with Foundation Apprentices at The Bridge in Dumfries and helped them develop a campaign promoting qualification to other learners. They developed a plan, secured a budget, liaised with partner organisations, and helped come up with creative and editorial activities to promote the course to other students.”
Sarah added: “The multi-disciplinary nature of the work they did gave the Foundation Apprentices a great insight into what it’s like to work in a marketing and communications environment and gave them first-hand experience of the sort of tasks they would be expected to do for an employer.”
Sarah-Jane, who attends Dumfries High School, said: “I want to study Sports Journalism at university, so when I heard about what the Foundation Apprenticeship offered and the sort of work I would be doing as part of it, I really wanted to get involved.”
Maya, a former pupil of St Joseph’s College in Dumfries, added: “The Foundation Apprenticeship really opened doors for me. It gave me a really good sense of the sort of work I could be doing when I’m older and made me realise this is what I want to do in the future.”
Duncan Curtis, Academy Lead at Alive Radio in Dumfries hosted student August Wildner as part of his Foundation Apprenticeship, focusing on Audio Production. Duncan said: “Providing the placement for the Foundation Apprenticeship has offered a route for young people into our industry. It gives them the opportunity to gain experience of a working radio station and develop technical skills. They get a real sense of the sort of work we do in the studio, and if they love it, it will give them a real sense of direction for where they want to go next.”
August, who also attended St Joseph’s College said: “My Foundation Apprenticeship was timetabled alongside my other subjects, so it just became a normal part of my school day. The apprenticeship has really helped me decide on what it is I want to do after school. I’m going on to study Sound Engineering at university.”
Caroline Hunter, National Manager for SQA, said: “A Foundation Apprenticeship is a different way of learning; it gives young people a qualification, and the experience employers are looking for, all while still being at school.
Caroline adds: “A Foundation Apprenticeship gives young people a chance to gain valuable experience of the workplace, develop their practical and interpersonal skills, enhance their CV or their personal statement and help them decide what they want to do after school, whether that’s going on to college or university, entering into a training programme such as a Modern Apprenticeship or going straight into employment.”
More information on Foundation Apprenticeships can be found here on our website.
111247
447
21-AUG-2024
Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:44:53 +0100
UPDATED
