Day 262 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk
was at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and I was delighted to be
greeted by The Honourable Robin Lewis OBE DL, Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, and Mr
Gwilym Dyfri Jones, Provost of the Carmarthen Campus.
Trinity Saint David College’s http://www.trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk/en/
original charter was awarded in 1828 when they were based at their Lampeter
campus. They now have campuses at Lampeter in Ceredigion, Carmarthe in
Carmarthenshire and London. The Chancellor and Royal Patron is HRH The Prince
of Wales in his capacity as Chancellor of the University of Wales. The
President is Dr Brinley Jones CBE and they have two Provosts; Professor D.
Densil Morgan at Lampeter and Mr Gwilym Dyfri Jones at Carmarthen.
Trinity Saint David have secured a multimillion pound
government investment which is being reinvested to provide an environment
befitting twenty-first century learning, teaching and scholarship.
The School of Social Justice and
Inclusion School of Social Justice and Inclusion is based at Carmarthen Campus and the
courses available there are;
Social Inclusion is a cross discipline programme drawn from a perspective
of social justice; incorporating social policy and its links to practice in a
variety of contexts. I was delighted to meet students studying Psychology,
Primary Education Studies and Youth and Community Work.
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| A wonderful welcome from The University of Wales Trinity Saint David |
In recent years, three key issues have emerged in the debate about national
priorities that affect young people’s education and development: social
inclusion, citizenship, and employability. Youth and Community Work is at the
heart of working with young people within these three areas.
The course offers a professional qualification, underpinned by the core
principles and values of youth work. It explores how to facilitate and support
young people’s growth, and personal and social development, in a variety of informal
settings. It reflects current youth policy and practice in both Wales and
England and is relevant to the occupational sector, local and national
employers and voluntary sectors.
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| Day 262 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with the Lord Lieutenant and the Provost |
Placements are central to the course in both statutory and voluntary youth
work settings, and are underpinned by critically assessing issues that impact
upon young people’s lives, such as the nature of society and issues of social
inclusion, sociology and psychology of youth. Students are required to complete
800 hours of assessed fieldwork placements during the programme, as well as
attend observational visits to support other modules.
My visit was thoroughly enjoyable and I am sincerely grateful to the Lord
Lieutenant, the Provost and the students and staff who made me feel so welcome.
From Trinity Saint David I drove
up to Queen Elizabeth High School http://www.qehs.carms.sch.uk/ - a Comprehensive High School
for Carmarthen Town and its surrounding areas.
The school is a mixed, bilingual, inclusive community comprehensive school
of around 1500 pupils, catering for all abilities between the ages of 11 and
19. It was formed in September 2005 by the joining together of Queen Elizabeth
Cambria and Queen Elizabeth Maridunum Schools which were located within 300m of
each other.
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| Phil with all QEH Elfed and Rhydygors pupils |
Recently, their entire campus was
redeveloped with a multi-million pound, county council-funded investment in:
·
Accommodation for 1600 pupils. The buildings
incorporate the latest in environmental and sustainable design, including
rainwater harvesting, solar panels, photo-voltaics, a biomass boiler and environmental
study areas;
·
A special needs centre of excellence, enabling
us to meet individual needs ranging from profound and multiple learning
difficulties, sensory impairment, autism, and specific literacy and numeracy
needs. As a mainstream school, we are unique in the region in providing such a
facility, thus enabling local access to specialised intervention;
·
A performing arts centre which enables the
further development of our pupils’ talents in music, dance and drama;
·
A sixth form centre, including a large common
room, individual study areas and classrooms;
·
An extended and refurbished leisure facility
incorporating a competition-standard swimming pool and many other outstanding
resources;
·
Brand new external sporting facilities,
including new tennis courts, an all-weather pitch, running track and playing
fields.
It was the special needs centre
of excellence that meets individual needs ranging from profound and multiple
learning difficulties, sensory impairment, autism, and specific literacy and numeracy
needs that I wanted to visit.
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| Phil, Lisa Pudner & Pupil |
It was a pleasure to meet the
seventy-two pupils with special educational needs and their staff. I was also
delighted that the school had invited young people from surrounding schools to
join the BRIT 2012 mile walk.
I ended the day with 363 miles to
go.
On Day 263 I visited
Pembrokeshire College http://www.pembrokeshire.ac.uk/
Pembrokeshire College is the
county's largest provider of a wide range of post-16 education and training.
Situated in a modern, purpose-built campus in Haverfordwest, they offer young
people and adults excellent training opportunities. From A-levels and
apprenticeships to degrees and part-time evening classes, their courses are
suitable for a wide range of young people’s needs.
With approximately 2,000
full-time and 6,500 part-time students, College tutors provide a disciplined
and supportive framework which focuses on student success. For school leavers,
the College provides a lively, stimulating environment that acts as a stepping
stone towards university and the world of work.
The College is proud of its
excellent array of facilities and equipment, notably in the Learning Resource
Centre (library), computing and IT suites, dedicated areas for design and
multi-media studies, technology workshops and, most recently, the award-winning
£3.2m Construction Centre and £4m Engineering Wing.
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| With some of the students I met on Day 263 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk at Pembrokeshire College |
I was delighted to meet the
Mayor, Councillor Ken Wyburn, and many students from the college. I ended the
day with 358 miles to go.
With kind regards,
Phil