Wider Skills

Through ‘Aikido for self-defence’ you will learn simple, effective principles and movements, based on techniques from Japanese Jujitsu, to increase your chances of survival in a last resort self-defence scenario.

British Sign Language (or BSL) is a helpful skill to have if you ever want to communicate effectively with deaf people. It consists of hand movements, hand shapes, as well as facial expressions and lip patterns to demonstrate what people want to say. This 10-week course will teach you the basics of BSL. You will learn how to ask questions, find out how someone is, and have a conversation with someone using BSL.

In this enrichment you will learn the different terminology used as a cheerleader. You will then create a team name and a cheer. You will learn a 'pom' routine using the skills learnt from previous weeks and any prior skills such as tumbling or gymnastics.

The ancient game of chess has thrilled people through the ages. Whether you are new to the game or an experienced player, come along and learn how to play this fascinating game.

A specific focus each week on different areas of the driving theory assessment. You will focus on a range of scenarios such as hazards, alertness, perception, traffic signs, rules of the road, documentation etc. The enrichment will reinforce the value and importance of why theory needs to be completed before you can take your practical exam. This enrichment is specifically for students who aspire to drive.

Led by a qualified instructor you will be introduced to some of the basic elements of first aid. You will learn how to assess an emergency situation and administer first aid to a casualty in a variety of situations, ranging from the treatment of shock to the specific techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At the end of this enrichment, if successful, you will gain a nationally recognised certificate in First Aid at Work.

You will take part in an art that is fun, productive and therapeutic. Henna is an ancient art form that is practised by men and women all over the world. In this enrichment, you will learn about the cultural influences around henna, look at and learn how to make henna and look at different henna designs. You will learn how to apply henna, set up stalls to do this and raise money for a charity. You will develop the people-handling skills, communication skills, marketing skills, and presentation and imagination skills required.

Learn to knit! In this enrichment you will learn to cast on, knit, cast off and sew pieces together. If you pick these skills up quickly you can move on to learning knitting skills such as purl, knitting with multiple colours and following a pattern. We will make large squares that we will sew together to create blankets which we donate to a local charity for homeless people.

Our LGBTQIA+ enrichment allows you to research, celebrate and raise awareness of key LGBTQIA+ issues and people. You will also create a mixed media display celebrating the LQBTQIA+ community and this will be displayed in our Achievement Centre in college. You will also plan a charity event to raise money for The Albert Kennedy Trust which supports young LGBTQIA+ people who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment. This enrichment would be suitable for those intending to go into the following careers: health and social care; teaching; law; social work; housing; welfare rights; HR management; youth/community work; or anyone wanting to support inclusivity!

Photography skills for beginners. Learn how to take pictures from different angles and edit these using Photoshop Lightroom. This will enhance your creativity, attention to detail and strong team working skills. You will focus on cleaning-up shots, making shots black and white and clean up shots with the spot healing brush. At the end of the course, you will create a portfolio of the images you have taken and edited.

Running for beginners working from couch up to running 5k over a 10-week period. The course will involve learning about the benefits of running, running safely and a mixture of walking and running. At the end of the course you can choose to do an independent training programme to represent the college by taking part in The Great Manchester Run (10k) for a charity we will choose together, or to help with fundraising and supporting the runners on the day.

You will need to do some running outside of the enrichment programme (two runs per week)

The beginnings of yoga were developed over 5,000 years ago and it is still popular today all over the world for its physical and mental benefits. In this enrichment, a qualified and highly experienced teacher will introduce you to basic skills and ideas of yoga. You will learn how to do some of the core yoga positions and work on a range of exercises to improve your core strength, flexibility and range of motion.

The Young Health Champions enrichment leads to a RSPH Level 2 Award qualification for Young Health Champions. The programme  is for young people between the ages of 14 and 24 who want to help their peers develop a healthier lifestyle and make their voice heard around mental health and wellbeing issues. The Young Health Champions programme gives young people across the country the skills to take control of their health and wellbeing.
The programme explores what the most prevalent risks to the health of young people are including substance abuse, social media, and smoking and how to address these risks to make healthy lifestyle choices. The programme also helps to improve the overall mental and physical health of Young Health Champions and empowers them to encourage others to adopt similar healthy behaviours. Young Health Champions also learn about health services in their local area and how to signpost others to these.
The course culminates in developing a health promotion campaign and delivering it to your peers. As part of this enrichment programme, you will be placed in a high school as a mentor, full training for this will be given by Place2Be. If you choose this enrichment, you will also complete this as your social development programme.