Name: Reproduction in Flowering, Hydroponics and Gardening (QLS)
Price: 399 GBP
Availability: InStock

gold leaf services

London

A Family Run Company Established in 1973 Serving The Gilding And Decorative Industries Ken Rees - Founder of Gold Leaf Supplies Ken Rees Founder In 2023 we will be celebrating our 50th year in business. Phew! Over the years, we have built a reputation for supplying high-quality products with an equally high level of service. We are passionate about gilding and specialist decoration techniques and we love to hear about your projects. At Gold Leaf Supplies we pride ourselves on our innovative approach to servicing the gilding and decorative trades. We are always exploring ways of expanding our services and seeking new horizons through interesting and exciting product ranges. Sue Govani - Director of Gold Leaf Supplies Sue Govani Director Steve Rees - Director of Gold Leaf Supplies Steve Rees Director Company History Gold Leaf Supplies is a family business, which was established as Services Supply Company in 1973 by Mr Ken Rees who was a senior partner in the business. Although Ken retired in 2008, he still had an involvement in the Company until his peaceful passing in May 2018. Having worked in the Italian Marble business for many years, Ken initially set up the business to supply gold leaf and associated products to the stone trade. The main emphasis being on offering an exceptionally high level of service and personal contact. Since 1973, our client base has expanded and diversified considerably, and we have increased our product range accordingly to meet our clients’ needs. We now cater to a diversified range of National and International clients involved in gilding, signwriting, glass manufacture, bookbinding, furniture restoration and manufacture, framing, interiors, architectural decoration, specialist decorating and monumental carving to name but a few. You can view examples of the prestigious projects that we have supplied for in our client gallery As the emphasis of the business changed so did the Company trading name - to Gold Leaf Supplies. From 1st March 2008, we became a Limited Company - Services Supply Company Ltd T/A Gold Leaf Supplies. Although the product range has diversified, and the company has grown, the philosophy introduced in 1973 has remained the same - "We offer quality products at competitive prices and a continuing high level of service." The business remains within the family and Kens’ son, Steve Rees and daughter, Sue Govani joined the company in 1989 and 1991 respectively. Steve has a background in Business whilst Sue’s background is in Art and Design bringing different skills and ideas to the business. Both are Company Directors and very hands on with the day to day running of the business. Steve is mainly involved with the purchasing and logistics. He has a memory like a filing cabinet and a sound technical knowledge relating to gilding techniques. When he has any free time, you will find him on the ski slopes or out walking with his beloved dogs. Sue is more involved with the creative side of the business and enjoys the sales, marketing and client facing events. Passionate about artistic techniques and applications, Sue is usually found trying out the new product ranges in her spare time. She is learning to gild is spending a little more time being a hands on creative which she finds a very meditative process. We all have enormous respect for the art of gilding and its traditional values whilst at the same time recognise and are inspired by the many diverse and contemporary ways that gold and silver leaf is being used today. Our Team It is important to receive your raw materials on time and we appreciate the tight deadlines that most businesses work to, therefore for approved accounts, most of our products are despatched the day instructions are received and delivered on a next day delivery basis. Where large projects are involved, supplies can be scheduled on a phased delivery. One of our strengths is that we can and have often been called upon to supply large quantities at short notice. Our prime objective is not only to supply, but also to provide a full service to our clients and our team makes every effort to ensure this objective is achieved. We have knowledgeable staff who are always on hand to offer advice and we respond quickly to any enquiries that you may have. Please feel free to contact us at any time. Sue Jewell Accounts Manager Sue J has been with us for almost 15 years and has been instrumental in setting up all of our accounts and bookkeeping administration. Since October last year Sue decided to reduce her hours to work part time to fit around her grandchildren and has been working remotely since lockdown. Accounts practices come naturally to Sue and she is continuing to teach all the office staff her accounting methods. She is still very much involved with managing and overseeing the office systems and administration on a weekly basis remotely although she no longer has direct contact with clients. Niki Rathkey Accounts Administrator and Order Processing Niki has been with GLS for two years now and handles all our day-to-day accounts and order processing. It is a busy desk, but Niki is always on hand with a smile to answer any accounting queries that you may have. She is like a magpie when it comes to our shiny products and uses a lot of them in her stone painting and interior projects. She has also built up a sound knowledge about how our products work and will answer most queries related to this. Niki has a strong background of secretarial and administrative skills and has previously worked for a variety of Accounts practices. Isabel Barriga Brown Accounts Assistant and Order Processing Isabel is a new starter for GLS who joined us in October 2021 but has quickly become an indispensable member of the team. Together with Niki they are the accounts team that keep our day-to-day orders ticking over and our records straight! She is very creative and artistic and helps a lot with our social media ideas and creative projects. Again, Isabel loves trying out the projects in her own home and is also learning to gild. She’s our social secretary and makes sure we get together outside as well as inside of work. Adam Rees Technical and IT Adam has worked at Gold Leaf Supplies for around 10 years and during that time he has built up a very good technical knowledge about the products and their uses. He is happy to answer any technical questions that you may have. He is very patient and interested in the challenges that customers projects often present. He will always go out of his way to find a solution and is interested in testing new products and applications. Adam also has responsibility for the Website and all our internal IT requirements. Ralph Davies Warehouse Manager Ralph has been with GLS for over 8 years and takes care of all the goods inwards, stock control and order despatch. Ralph is meticulous and methodical which is a good thing in a busy warehouse. He runs a very tight and organised ship and is a real character! Nothing is ever too much trouble! He always goes the extra mile to make sure your orders are packed well and despatched on time. Fred Govani Warehouse Assistant Fred is Sue’s husband and since taking early retirement during lockdown he comes into the Company part time to help out in our busy warehouse. Due to his previous and extensive work experience he also has a valuable input into logistics and systems practices. Debbie Rees Colour sampling coordinator. Debbie is Steve’s wife who also runs an online homeware store called Elsie Boo Collections. She helps out at GLS by preparing all of our Gold leaf and other metallic materials shade cards that our clients find so useful to have in their workshops or to show their own customers to help them make colour decision choices. Debbie makes sure that we are all stocked up with these and also helps us keep on top of office filing.

josie warshaw ceramics

London

Josie Warshaw Ceramics Get Creative With Clay josiewarshaw@aol.com 07773865917 www.josiewarshaw.co.uk Instagram josiewarshawceramics Kingsgate Workshops Trust Studio 43 110-116 Kingsgate Road NW6 2JG Craft Courses https://www.craftcourses.com/courses/make-and-decorate-a-bowl-get-creative-with-clay Ceramics: Throwing Lessons / Beginner /Intermediate Learn the basics of throwing on the wheel or hone your skills with expert tuition from an experienced potter. Learn to centre clay and make closed and open shapes on the wheel at a time that suits you. Cost is £25 per hour and includes materials, tools and tuition. minimum 2 hours. Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl This friendly, relaxed, workshop takes place in a peaceful studio in the Kingsgate Workshops Trust building. This taster type clay session is a great way to get away from the busy world outside for a few hours. By the end of this session you will have completed a bowl using the coiling method. This session can be treated as a one off or something you can repeat. If the course is booked with a friend or as a group there is a reduction in price. Please negotiate group reductions via email. When making your bowl you will also have a finished surface that you can decorate in a variety of ways applying any design or you can leave it blank or write an inscription onto its surface. A decorated bowl is an excellent celebratory gift to give to a friend or a relative. Or you can use it yourself! You will be guided through making a bowl using the coiling technique by joining, then pinching out ropes of soft clay. The clay wall is then pared to obtain a satisfying curve, that can be scratch decorated or slip painted on the same day with your personal design. You will have guidance each step along the way. When you have made your bowl it will be glazed for you.. Finished work can be posted or collected. £65 or £105 for plus 1 Josie Warshaw Ceramics at Kingsgate Workshops Trust After training at Harrow School of Art Josie established her studio at Kingsgate Workshops Trust. Over the years she has combined her studio practice with teaching in adult educational settings including; Camberwell School of Art, Camden Arts Centre, The Architectural Association and The City Lit. Her commissioned history, techniques and technical overview, books; “The Complete Practical Potter” and “Beginners Ceramic Handbook” "The Practical Potter"have been translated and sold in countries around the world and are available for purchase in a number of different languages. Josie continues to offer relaxed and friendly teaching and studio time to beginners and more advanced students at her Kingsgate studio. Lessons are offered to individuals and small groups in hand-building, throwing and surface decoration. Reviews 2016/ 2017/18 Such a great course! by Wiggy - March 2017 Josie is a wonderful teacher, had a really good time learning how to make bowl in her studio. Would love to do this every Saturday. Will come again ) A great introduction Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl Craft Courses Its' a great experience: Josie is very knowledgeable, and makes it a pleasurable and rewarding experience. It was laid back but at the end of the afternoon all of us had produced a wonderful decorated bowl, in the interesting environment of her studio. Elisabeth -12th February 2018 #12942 By Verity - January 2017 This was a surprise present so I wasn't sure what to expect but it was such an awesome course and a great way to spend an afternoon. Josie was really helpful and a fantastic teacher, I'd definitely recommend her courses. Amazing and Relaxing Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl (Booked online with Hotcourses) By Hugo - January 2017 I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this course with my girlfriend, but it was fantastic and we learnt so much about how to shape clay. It was very relaxing and the time seemed to fly by! I would highly recommend this course Amazing By Hugo - January 2017 First time using Hotcourses so I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it was really interesting and fun. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to relax and make a bowl! A relaxing, creative experience Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl By Andrew - January 2017 After purchasing a course for my girlfriend’s birthday we were not sure what to expect. What a lovely experience it was and a way to pass a few hours and to produce something tangible with your own unique stamp on it. Everyone's bowl ended up completely different and it was great to make pottery, really learning how clay works and performs. Josie has a relaxed teaching method, encouraging and informative. Would highly recommend. Andrew & Asha A great experience By toby - September 2016 We weren't sure what to expect when signing up for this but it turned out to be the most enjoyable experience with Josie being extremely helpful and friendly in showing us the coiling technique, would definitely recommend! Worthwhile creative experience By Lisa - July 2016 Never did I think that the simple activity of making a bowl could open up such a myriad of experiences. From getting my hands dirty digging in the clay, to coercing this medium so it took on a form. For a first experience the clay and Josie’s skilful but gentle guidance, dictated the road travelled, a useable beautiful, and personal bowl emerged. And then a colour feast to paint it. Thank you Josie Thanks so much Josie Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl By Aaron - July 2016 I was bought this course as a birthday present and did not know what to expect as I have never done any ceramics work before. Safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, the space was quiet and Josie was extremely knowledgeable about her subject, guiding us firmly yet also allowing us creative freedom. I would highly recommend this course to anyone. I also cheekily made two bowls in the time I was there, which Josie kindly did not get mad about! Amazing and relaxing experience!!! Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl (Booked online with Hot courses) By Diego - July 2016 It was my partner's and my first time doing pottery. At first we thought to have only one class to have a new experience but after taking a one-day course with Josie, we are talking to do that again and again. It had such a good atmosphere and Josie conducted the course in a friendly and professional way. She passed us her experience and knowledge making sure we were having a great time! Best workshop ever! Ceramics: 1-1 Intensive Throwing Lessons / Beginner /Intermediate By Tyler - April 2016 As a first timer was fairly nervous and there's only so much research you can do. Josie was patient, knowledgeable and helpful - I felt very at ease and I learnt A LOT. The workshop was very informative I was provided with information sheets of all of the process's I requested and if it wasn't at hand Josie will research for you to answer all of your questions and provide you with as much help as possible. Really good price for everything you get as well which is all of your materials and some of the best teaching I've experienced. Very thorough explanations and demonstrations with clear instructions, personally I feel its important to have a 1:1 class as well if you want a more intensive learning experience. For myself I felt I need to be guided through the process with constant observation to receive help as you go and then learn from your mistakes much faster. Josie helped me with my current university project, she is a truly a great potter with a great passion for passing on the knowledge, I can't thank her enough.

nick dale photography

Here’s a brief biographical profile and outline of my photography career. If you want to see a few pictures of me, click here. If you have any questions, just click the chat button or get in touch at nick@nickdalephotography.com or on +44 7942 800921 . Photographer | Writer | Speaker | Teacher | Judge I dreamed of becoming a photographer when I was 15, but my mother wanted me to go to Oxford instead! I ended up reading English at Oxford and working as a strategy consultant for a few years before retiring at the age of 29. I then travelled round the world for seven years, doing four ski seasons and working on an internet start-up in San Francisco before finally returning to London in 2005. At that point, consulting work felt too stressful, so I decided to go 'quality of life'. I'm now a private tutor and international award-winning wildlife photographer. I became a tutor in 2009 when I happened to read an article in the paper called 'Ten Ways to Beat the Recession', and I started taking pictures again when I received a random email inviting me to go on safari and climb Mount Kenya. I've been a wildlife photographer since 2013, taking pictures in 26 countries on all seven continents and winning various awards including the Sunday Times/Audley Travel Big Shot. I spend a lot of time in Africa, and I’ve been on over 300 game drives and boat rides there. I’ve also worked as a Resident Photographer at various safari lodges: 2019: Klein’s Camp, Serengeti Under Canvas, Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp and Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp 2020: Gabus Game Ranch and Etosha National Park in Namibia 2022: Ol Jogi in Kenya and Muchenje in Botswana. I'm always happy to answer questions from guests, whether it’s about camera settings, the rules of composition or just identifying all the different species of wildlife. Back at camp, I'll give the odd talk on camera technique, give feedback on their images and show them some of my own. Maybe I’ll see you out there…! Artist’s Statement I have a passion for wildlife, and I want to celebrate all its facets in my photography, including power, beauty, cuteness and humour. These are the qualities I want to share with people. I’m not a conservationist, so I don’t take pictures of endangered animals to put on posters for Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. I take them because I love close encounters with the natural world, and I want to share the excitement, relaxation, tenderness and wonder they evoke. I started out taking 'portraits' of animals. That was all very well, and a lion might look beautiful sitting on the African savannah at sunset, but there isn't much energy in that sort of picture. What I try to do now is to focus on action shots. I still take portraits - and sometimes I don't have a choice! - but my ideal image is much more likely to be a cheetah chasing down a Thomson’s gazelle than a bird sitting on a branch! My favourite animals are the predators, and the advantage of a long lens is that it can create the impression of being right up close and personal with some pretty dangerous beasts. It’s that sense of excitement that I try to capture in my work, and I'm happy to use whatever technology I can find to do the job. Cameras 2 x Sony a1 mirrorless cameras 2 x Sony VGC-4EM Vertical Grip for A1 2 x Sony 160GB TOUGH CFexpress Type A Flash Memory Cards Lenses Sony FE 12-24 mm f/2.8 G Master lens Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 G Master lens Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 G Master OSS II lens Sony FE 400 mm f/2.8 G Master lens Sony FE 600 mm f/4 G Master lens Sony SEL E Mount 14TC 1.4x Teleconverter - White Sony SEL E Mount 20TC 2x Teleconverter - White All that, combined with the wonders of Lightroom and Topaz Labs, gives me the best possible chance to show off the wonders of Nature. Contact If you’d like to hire me for a talk, a lesson, a photo shoot or a safari, please contact me on +44 7942 800921 or at nick@nickdalephotography.com. 99 Ormonde Court Upper Richmond Road London SW15 6TR Mobile: +44 7942 800921 Skype: nicholas_dale Facebook: facebook.com/nickdalephotography Flickr: flickr.com/photos/nickdalephotography Instagram: instagram.com/nickdalephotography LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nickdalephotography Pinterest: pinterest.com/nickdalephotography Twitter: twitter.com/nickdale_photo YouTube: youtube.com/@nickdalephotography View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Donations If you’d like to support my photographic career by making a donation, please click the button below. DONATE Sales Sold over 25,000 images to buyers including National Geographic, Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife Magazine, The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Daily Mail Online, The Sun, The Sunday Express, The Times and Lonely Planet. Sold my best-selling shot of a jumping Adélie penguin over 2,000 times - and it even appeared on a poster inside the hero's locker on the US TV show Atypical! Provided the cover photo for SMT magazine. Sold 65 fine art prints to private collectors around the world. Sold over 1,000 copies of my Expert Photography ebooks on Social Success Strategies and Wonderful Wildlife. Sold over 200 greeting cards and postcards at various exhibitions, Gerhold in Putney and Willow Bough Tea Rooms. Worked for clients including a tennis club, a milliner, a local councillor, a tuition agency and a procurement consultancy. Publications Wrote ebooks on wildlife photography and social media for Expert Photography, books on Predators & Prey, India, Antarctica and a local wedding, plus Resident Photographer: Tanzania & Kenya. Wrote articles for Expert Photography, Fusion Art, Outdoor Photography, Wildlife Photographic, PhotoPXL, Clipping Path Creative and SLR Lounge. Interviewed by Fusion Art for A Day in the Life. Posted articles, images and videos online: Nick Dale Photography website: 1.0k unique monthly visitors Facebook: 4.1k followers, 22.0k engagement, 700.6k people reached, 1.1m impressions (last 28 days) Instagram: 322 accounts engaged, 2.6k accounts reached, 14.4k total followers (last 30 days) LinkedIn: 492 connections Pinterest: 399 followers, 64k impressions, 2.4k engagements, 49k total audience, 1.8k engaged audience (last 30 days) Twitter: 18 followers YouTube: 50.1k subscribers, 205k watch hours and seven videos with more than a million views - (here, here, here, here, here, here and here). Awards Shoot The Frame’s October 2022 and May 2020 Shoot The Wild competitions The Best Modern and Contemporary Artists Prize 2022 The Faces of Peace Art Prize 2022 Tailor-Made Tour Company of the Year 2022 for England in the Travel & Hospitality Awards International Prize Leonardo da Vinci - The Universal Artist 2022 ATIM's Top 60 Masters for 2022 (see magazine feature on p25 and video starting at 26:26) Wildlife category in the Professional Photographer of the Year 2021 Best International Wildlife Photographer 2021 in the Southern Enterprise Awards hosted by SME News 2021 LUX Life Photography Coach of the Year - UK National Geographic: Photo of the Day award twice (here and here), both images being chosen for the Daily Dozen and Best of Photo of the Day 2017 and winning over 25,000 likes on Instagram Monthly finalist in the Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year 2021 Gold in the Animal Portrait category of the 2020 World Nature Photography Awards Sunday Times/Audley Travel Big Shot competition Wildlife Series in the 15th Pollux Awards/The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards Best of Contest in 35 Awards’ Wildlife: Mammals competition Guru’s Top Pick in the Gurushots Up Close with Birds challenge Best of Show in Grey Cube Gallery's Nature exhibition (see video) February 2020 Arthola competition Wildlife Worldwide Photography Competition 2019 (Animal Action category) Fusion Art: Artist Spotlight (Photography & Digital) in April 2020 (see video) and Best in Show at the 3rd Annual Animal Kingdom Art Exhibition (see video) Art Room Gallery: Nature competition (see video) Exodus Travels Monthly Photo Competition The Societies of Photographers: Gold Awards in the Wildlife, Nature and The Natural World categories Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers (SINWP): In the Wild Photography Competition (leading to stories in The Times, Express, The Sun, The Daily Star and the Mail Online, followed by an interview on London Live!) Various: Picture Frames Express's All Creatures Great and Small plus BBC Wildlife, Chiiz, Digital Photographer, Dodho, Wild Planet and Outdoor Photography competitions ePHOTOzine: two Daily Competitions, two Photos of the Week, 10 Editor’s Choice, 26 Highly Commended, 19 Guest Editor, 119 Readers' Choice and 213 User Awards Exodus Travels: 2018 calendar (February image) Facebook groups EP Cover Photo of the Week and Admin’s Choice from Expert Photography Photo of the Day and Photo of the Week for the International Photography Group Photo of the Day and Administrator’s Choice for Light and Shade Top Post of the Day from Nature & Creativity Cover Page and Weekly Contest for Nature Photography Administrator Choice for Photographers of the World Photo of the Week for Photography Certificate of Excellence, Weekly Contest, Cover Page and Admin Choice for the Professional Photographers Community Faunistic Selection for Renaissance Photography Top of the Day, Photo of the Day and Cracker of the Day for Save Earth Admin’s Choice from Superb Photography Cover photo for Wildlife & Nature Photography Certificate of Excellence from World Photographer - Wonderful Photography Magazine Award for World’s Top Photographers Instagram: Featured photo for @wildlifeplanet.ig, Featured Artist for @all_animals_addiction and @raw_africa_ and Daily Features for @instaperfect_capture, @wildlife__perfection, @OnlyAfrica, @kings_animals_love and Bonvac_Fauna Artist of the Week for Artlimes, Photographer of the Month for Picture Frames Express, Artist in Focus for LUMIarts and featured in Pond5’s Instagram Takeover and the May 2020, January 2021 February 2021 and March 2021 APÉRO catalogues. Exhibitions Chosen to take part in the Butterfly Effect online art exhibition put on by Contemporary Art Curator Magazine. Held solo exhibitions at the Norman Plastow Gallery in Wimbledon Village, Lumi Arts in Pimlico and 508 King's Road, where I am an artist-in-residence. Took part in Glaziers' Art Fair, Parallax Art Fair, PhotoX Awards 2018 at the Menier Gallery and various group shows at 508 King's Road and Gabriel Fine Arts. Took part in the Indian Photography Festival Exhibition and see | me exhibitions on Facebook and in New York. Was chosen for the online art galleries at Art Bridge, Artfinder, Art Gallery, Arthola, The Art Online Gallery, Artlimes, Printscapes and Saatchi Art. Sold six prints of a leopard at Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year exhibitions in Melbourne, Brisbane, Cape Town, Atlanta, Dallas and Johannesburg. Other Worked as Resident Photographer at Klein’s Camp, Serengeti Under Canvas, Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp and Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp in Africa for four months in 2019. Worked as Resident Photographer at Gabus Game Ranch in 2020. Gave talks for The Societies of Photographers, on two Antarctic cruise ships and at The Athenaeum Club, Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, the SW19 Women's Institute, the Putney Women’s Institute, Malden Camera Club, Watford Camera Club, Putney Library, the London Institute of Photography and Beckenham Photographic Society. Helped judge the 2019 Canary Wharf Wildlife Photography Competition. Ran photography workshops at Canary Wharf and Putney Library. Gave private lessons to various amateur photographers. Recorded six wildlife photography videos with Coinaphoto, covering Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and the polar regions. Had my work reviewed by Anthony Morganti on YouTube Became lifetime member of the Circle for the Foundation of the Arts (CFA). Joined the Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers in October 2013.

act fast nl

Scunthorpe

Act Fast is a well-established Independent School near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. Act Fast has grown organically as the need for a high standard of provision has emerged and developed. The premise of Act Fast’s provision is that we are promoting the value of education to previously disaffected young people. what we do We operate a bespoke curriculum at Act Fast, which is both written and delivered by in house staff and is in line with the DfE Independent Schools Standards. We overtly deliver lessons in the following subject areas: Maths up to Functional Skills level 2 standard English up to Functional Skills level 2 standard Motor Vehicle Technology with the Institute of the Motor Industry up to level 2 standard PSHE (Including RSE) against a verified and recognised scheme Motocross, delivered by qualified and experienced staff Physical Education through a range of on-site and off-site activities. Art/Crafts Music Further to this, lessons in the following subject areas are delivered as embedded features of the timetabled lessons. Human and Social Understanding Aesthetic and Creative Scientific Technological British Values Our learners know if they work hard, they are awarded by riding the motorcycles here at Act Fast. This has proven to be successful, helping young adults to achieve their qualifications and have a positive attitude towards learning. Curriculum Act Fast has made a commitment to give every young person who is capable of the opportunity to reintegrate and to take a range of exams. For those subjects that Act Fast does not currently deliver, as we develop learners opportunities will increase. We are an accredited exam centre through OCR, NCFE, ABC, D of E, and when required will extend this to meet the needs of our learners. Our curriculum also enables and encourages learners to develop their interests and talents. We have a number of students here who have found their passion for music, learning how to play the guitar, as well as a large number of young, talented motorbike riders who love learning about riding, fixing and maintaining the bikes. It’s important to us to support our learners in keeping them physically and mentally healthy. We have access to: Mental Health Champions, outreach support and therapeutic counselling services, available to all our learners. We have regular sports activities within our timetable to encourage physical exercise, as well as access to local gyms and leisure centres. These activities help to prepare young people to access their community in adulthood. Hidden Curriculum Act Fast’s curriculum, throughout the range of its delivery, is heavily invested in the “Hidden Curriculum”. The Hidden Curriculum argument is that the most valuable lessons our young people receive here are to arrive on time, respect authority, follow instructions, keep regard for safety, take responsibility for their actions, behave in an acceptable standard, liaise with other people respectfully, and respect other people’s personal choices, encouraging equality and diversity. Other ways in which we promote equality and diversity include: Challenging negative attitudes amongst students. Setting clear rules regarding how people treat each other. Treating all students and staff equally and fairly. Using resources that have multicultural themes. Creating lessons that reflect and promote diversity in the classroom. Making sure that all students have equal access to participation and opportunities. Ensuring that all procedures and policies are non-discriminatory. Making sure that classroom materials never discriminate against anyone. Safeguarding protected characteristics throughout our culture and ethos. All of these things, to a greater extent than formalised subject lessons, will make them responsible, independent, resilient and above all else employable young people once they finish their school career. Act Fast has trained and qualified staff to recognise some of the barriers to learning that students face. These barriers might be due to Adverse Childhood Experiences and with knowledge and understanding of such issues Act Fast staff can help students overcome them to maximise their potentials. Referral, Application and Introduction After a referral is made to Act Fast, we invite a representative from the referring body (usually the Inclusion Officer), the learner and the learner’s parents into Act Fast for a familiarisation visit. During that visit the learner is given a tour of the facility, is introduced to key staff members and receives an explanation of the culture of Act Fast. Learners are given the opportunity to voice any concerns and any questions they have are answered. We set a high expectation on behaviour here, and partly because expectations are high, but also because more established learners mentor new arrivals, new learners very soon fall into compliance with our way of doing things. Act Fast works because our learners buy into the culture. This is the first opportunity that a young person has to involve themselves in how we operate here. Application forms must be completed prior to a young person starting at Act Fast. Once applications are complete, the referring body typically takes a few days (sometimes up to a week) to arrange their transport. Personal data will be stored and processed at this point, and details entered into our MIS system, Arbor. We insist on a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) meeting with stakeholders and the young person present within the first month. This allows any teething troubles to be voiced and solutions to be sought. Further PLP meetings are held regularly, no less frequently than once a term. At those meetings, Act Fast staff will deliver a report detailing the engagement of the young person, levels of educational attainment, attendance, general engagement, and commentary on the likelihood of a reintegration being successful. Reintegration planning must be tailored to suit the needs of the individual. Staff Investment Our staff all take part in quality training including regular CPD sessions and ongoing programmes of accreditation such as SSS online training (recently completed by all staff members). Training needs identified are acted on as soon as practical. The organisation believes and invests in the continuous professional development of its people. Our commitment to CPD is such that every member of staff has received CPD accredited training in the last 12 months. Our qualified teachers ensure pedagogical content methods are in place to deliver high standards of teaching for our young learners. We engage with our staff continuously here and know of the main pressures on them, including managing workload. We aim to support every staff member to help guide them throughout their career at Act Fast. Educational Framework It is our aim to provide an educational framework which is heavily invested in the hidden curriculum. By that, we mean that as well as lessons formalised in Maths and English for example, our young people develop an understanding of: working to a process arriving on time respecting authority abiding by the rules accepting that their first choice may not always be the right choice following instructions not expecting to leave early attending every day These are the skills whereby a young person will be employable post 16. Without these key skills, a young person is unlikely to be able to function in the workplace. We develop the hidden curriculum, embedded in everything we do, in order that our learners gain an understanding of their expectations being matched by the expectations of attendance, compliance and engagement We have a tracking system in place for our core subjects. We also use a “readiness to learn” scale, whereby a learners attitude, engagement, and involvement in their own work is measured. Bespoken When evolving Act Fast into an independent school I was very mindful that Mainstream school had not been a successful outcome for the majority if not all of our learners. It was imperative that we were bespoke and able to meet the needs of all our learners and not just the few. For this reason we created our own curriculum that is more sympathetic to our learners’ needs. Our teachers create an environment that allows our young people to focus on learning. 1:1 support as well as small group teaching (where appropriate) is in place to make teaching more effective, allowing tutors to concentrate on each individual learner’s needs. We believe in student voice here at Act Fast. Our EHCP’s (Educational Health Care plans) allow us to capture our learners’ views. It’s not only in our annual reviews that we give learner’s opportunity to be heard. For example, one young adult suggested we invested in a bigger bike here, so we put arrangements in place and made this happen. We encourage our learners to make their voices heard. Below are some examples of student voice council meetings held at Act Fast and how they shape decisions made at the school. Student Voice Meeting 040322 We have effective arrangements to identify learners who may need early help or are at risk of neglect, abuse, grooming or exploitation. We strongly promote our policies and legislation such as safeguarding, diversity and equality of our staff and learners at Act Fast. Ofsted Report 2022 Best Bits: “Act Fast school is a place where the proprietor and staff go the extra mile to support the pupils who attend. It has a unique vision of how to ‘hook’ pupils back into education, and it is successful in doing so. Act Fast has started to re-engage pupils who have experienced difficulties in their education”. “Parents believe that, finally, a school ‘gets’ their child. The wider curriculum, built around motor-cross, is a distinctive feature of the school. It motivates pupils to attend and to behave well. For those pupils who do not wish to ride the bikes, staff work with them to find alternatives. The proprietor and staff have limitless ambition for what pupils can achieve in their personal development. At the heart of this is a patient, careful building of relationships, and, in many cases, a re-building of trust between the pupil and their experience of education.” “The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a strong understanding of the requirements of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Recently, the SENCo has started to work with a senior leader to more effectively incorporate pupils’ SEND targets from their education, health and care (EHC) plans into teachers’ planning.” “Leaders have also recently taken action to improve the school’s support for pupils’ reading. For instance, a primary specialist has been appointed with experience of teaching phonics to the weakest readers. The English lead is in the process of building a programme to encourage pupils to read widely and for enjoyment. Leaders’ wider curriculum for pupils’ personal development is, to very large extent, a strength of the school.” “The proprietor’s vision for getting young people who have had difficult experiences of school back into education is impressive. It is backed up by an innovative personal development curriculum, built on a range of activities that take place in the afternoons. These include a variety of motor vehicle-related opportunities, as well as visits out of school to a range of venues. Recently, for instance, pupils have started to be taken to a local engineering firm to participate in a scheme to broaden their career aspirations. Pupils know that there is a plan in place for them to make a suitable next step into further education or training at the end of Year 11.” Improvements: “Leaders’ PSHE curriculum includes reference to the protected characteristics and the school is a respectful community: however, coverage of the protected characteristics in the curriculum strategy is not as detailed as it could be, so pupils’ understanding is not as developed as it could be. Leaders should revisit their curriculum thinking for PSHE so that teaching of the protected characteristics is made more overt.” “The current curriculum is based on a limited set of qualifications in two subjects. For a registered special school, this lacks ambition. As a result, pupils experience a narrow curriculum, including a limited suite of qualifications. Leaders should take action to broaden and deepen their curriculum so that pupils have opportunities to study a wider range of subject content, organised coherently and cumulatively over the entire secondary and post-16 phases; and, for those who are capable, to a higher level of accreditation.” “Leaders have not taken the required action with regard to the statutory guidance for the teaching of RSHE. Consequently, parents have not been made aware of the school’s policy and their parental rights within the policy. Also, the teaching of Inspection report: Act Fast NL Ltd. RSHE is not clearly planned in the school’s curriculum. Leaders should take action to be compliant with the statutory guidance and to ensure that curriculum thinking incorporates structured RSHE teaching.”