Support For Schools

Shrewsbury Colleges Group has a broad range of opportunities, short courses and workshops, tailored to meet the needs of your support staff. Offering a rolling programme, we have a schedule of dates each academic year.

Our workshops are available for any staff member or volunteer and can contribute to employee CPD. Delivered in our Origins Restaurant on our London Road Campus – providing an opportunity to meet peers and develop links and share best practise.

All courses can be further developed to be delivered to groups of your staff in-house – should you wish. Each workshop is delivered by specialist staff, utilising guest speakers too to ensure the highest quality delivery. Whilst each workshop and short course may provide an introduction or bite-sized learning, our long-term education programmes also complement our partner education establishments in Shropshire and beyond. Developing staff through workshops, apprenticeships or even degrees can help retain the skills your school needs and support your students to excellence.

Workshops

Invacuation / Lockdown Drill Training

This one-hour training session will cover invacuation/lockdown procedures – enhancing the government’s policy on “Run, Hide and Tell”. How to keep yourself, colleagues, and students safe in the event of a threat, how to respond and what to expect should the unthinkable happen.

We will also look at recognising potential risks, how different weapons work and evaluating best practise for your school environment, depending on current physical security, ensuring the safety of all. Available to be delivered in person or online and to whole staff groups.

Flexible dates to suit your organisation. Price: £250 per group (maximum 40) – To arrange a booking or to find out more information, please call us on 01743 342602

Behaviour Management

Aimed at Teaching Assistants and support staff working face to face with students, this interactive workshop focuses on communication and strategies to calm situations and equip staff with skills for growing confidence in conflict management. This would be a great session for new staff, or staff working one-to-one, it aims to consolidate existing knowledge and support self-awareness and reflection, as well as present scenarios and incidents and the best course of action.

The workshop covers Primary, Secondary and FE age students. If you were looking for support with early years behaviour, we can offer a similar session to cover this age group upon request. Delegates will receive a certificate of attendance, and the opportunity to gain 1-1 advice from our specialist staff.
Friday 1 July, 9:30–11:30am at London Road Campus. Price: £75pp BOOK YOUR PLACE

HR & Apprenticeships

If you're considering hiring an apprentice, we’re here to help you get off to the very best start. Our guest speaker is a specialist in HR Essentials and has two different sessions available to support employers with managing the process of recruiting an apprentice and making it a success.

Whether you are a sole trader or an employee in a large organisation, these sessions ensure you are well versed in getting an apprentice started and ensuring if there are any issues along the way you are equipped to handle them. These two-hour interactive workshops cover the crucial topics of HR and employment law.

HR Essentials: Your First Apprentice - Thursday 1 September, 4-6pm. Introductory Offer! £45pp per session BOOK YOUR PLACE
HR Essentials: Managing Performance - Thursday 20 October, 4-6pm. Introductory Offer! £45pp per session BOOK YOUR PLACE

Finance for Non-finance Managers

Designed for managers who have financial responsibilities and need to understand the content of financial statements and reports used in business and learn to interpret this information and use it to manage day-to-day business activity.

Covers managing cash, keeping your business healthy, budgeting and understanding financial statements. Delegates will receive a certificate of attendance for this workshop.

Thursday 7 July, 9:30am-12:30pm at London Road Campus. Price: £95pp  BOOK YOUR PLACE

Mental Health First Aid

An introductory course designed to increase mental health awareness and give an understanding of how to look after wellbeing and challenge stigma. This half-day workshop is suitable for any member of staff, regardless of their level of responsibility or role.

This course is accredited by MHFA and includes a manual to keep and refer to whenever you need it.

Wednesday 24 August, 9:00am-1:00pm at London Road Campus. Price: £140pp BOOK YOUR PLACE

Safeguarding in the Workplace

An introduction to safeguarding for staff managing and working with vulnerable groups or individuals.

Ensure your business has an understanding of which individuals are at risk of harm or are particularly vulnerable, so if issues arise with employees or their families you are knowledgeable and prepared to signpost them to the most effective help in a safe environment.

Friday 22 July 9:30am-12:30am at London Road Campus. Price: Coming soon 

Short Courses

School Sport

This level 2 programme is ideal for Teaching Assistants involved in assisting with the delivery of sport in school.

Bookkeeping

We offer the part-time AAT Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping and AAT Level 3 Certificate in Bookkeeping courses.

ICT Training

Bespoke training and coaching to expand your knowledge of software packages and tailored to the level and size of the group, depending on your needs. Delivered both in-person and online.

Apprenticeships

Teaching Assistant

Supporting the class teacher to enhance pupils’ learning, this 18-month programme covers the roles of Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, Specialist Support Assistants and Support for Specialist Curriculum Area. Find out more.

Accounting

Ranging from the basics through to technician level, all funded through apprenticeships.

• Accounts or Finance Assistant - maintaining efficient and accurate finance functions. Find out more.
• Assistant Accountant – carrying out routine financial activities and support. Find out more.
• Professional accounting or Taxation Technician – working as an accountant or bookkeeper. Find out more.

Business Administrator

Supporting and engaging with different parts of the organisation and interacting with internal and external customers. Find out more.

Learning Mentor

Supporting learners of all ages, and all levels, to develop within a new work role. Find out more.

Operations and Departmental Manager

Managing teams and projects in line with a private, public or voluntary organisation's operational or departmental strategy.

Higher Education

Foundation Degree in Education

Building on knowledge and experience through higher-level studying. Successful completion of this award enables direct progression to a top-up BA (Hons) Degree in Education. Find out more.

Facilitators

Zoe Hands Assessor in Early Years and Teaching Assistant Zoe has 15 years of experience working in private and local authority nurseries and primary schools. During this time she has held various roles including Early Years Practitioner, Teaching Assistant and Nursery Manager. Professionally, Zoe recently complete a BA in Education and is now studying for her PGCE, and continues to keep her practice relevant by working part-time at a nursery alongside her role as a college assessor.

Sally Ross Assessor in Early Years and Teaching Assistant A qualified teacher with over twenty years of experience in schools and more recently, Early Years. Sally has a strong interest in Language and Literacy development and also a passion for the creative aspects of the curriculum.

Nicola Perry Teacher in Accounts With over 19 years of teaching in further education, Nicola is a qualified chartered management accountant (ACMA), specialising in management accounting AAT courses. Prior to teaching, she worked in the south east, as Finance and Logistics Manager for GlaxoSmithKline.

Amanda Crane Mental Health First Aid Instructor Amanda is a qualified coach and counsellor with 20+ years of experience within the education and safeguarding sectors. She has significant experience working with children and young people aged 3-24, as well as supporting mental health through pastoral and parenting support for adults. She is a registered MHFA trainer and STORM trained in self-harm and suicide mitigation

Niamh Kelly Director of The HR Dept Shropshire Niamh is an award-winning professional with over 30 years of HR experience at a senior level in the corporate, public and voluntary sectors. She works with SMEs across Shropshire, covering everything from recruitment and right to work checks to resolving problems and redundancy. Niamh is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and holds a Master’s in Strategic Human Resource Management, as well as formal qualifications in coaching and mentoring.

Stuart Ford Microsoft 365 Training Specialist – Software Skills Stuart has over 25 years of experience in delivering Microsoft 365 skills training to businesses and adults within Shropshire, working with people of all ages and abilities and at a pace to suit each person’s needs. His training can be conducted face to face on an individual basis or in small groups, with sessions arranged around the needs of the learners. Stuart also offers individual skills training on a remote basis on flexible days and times.

Ted Coxon Invacuation & Security Specialist Ted Coxon served in the British Army for 25 years. A qualified firearms instructor with vast experience in a range of weapon systems, he has trained many soldiers and airmen in what to do in incidents such as weapon attacks and bomb attacks/scares. Now, working in education, Ted provides first-hand experience of how to manage a building complex containing a threat, including involvement in testing the procedures of the West Midlands emergency services.