Alternative Education Tutor

Job Description

Alternative Education tutors support our young people by planning, delivering and evaluating 1-1 and small group sessions. The programmes we run incorporate activities such as art, gardening, science, environmental education, forest/beach school and bushcraft, with an outdoor element always at the heart of the programme. They are differentiated both at programme and session level to maximise engagement and to ensure our offer is student-centred. The young people we work with on these sessions are usually struggling to access mainstream education and require high levels of individual support.

We are not purely an intervention service and we aim for all our students to leave our programmes with an external qualification or award of some type. The successful candidate will be delivering accredited lowland and environmental leadership courses at L2 and L3 and will hold an outdoor walking leadership qualification – for example South West Summer Moorland Leader or Mountain Training Lowland Leader. You will also have a background working with young people with SEND. This role will involve working with young people on a 1-1 basis in remote locations and you will also be required to drive young people to sessions in your own vehicle.

The postholder will primarily work during the week at term-time, although we also run weekend community sessions and holiday projects through the school holidays and you will need to be available for these sessions as and when required. This is an exciting time to join us because our woodland site is rapidly being developed for educational use and we are looking for people to help us realise our vision for the site.

Responsibilities

The post holder will have the following responsibilities and duties:

• Planning and delivering a programme of activities, either on a 1-1 basis or with small groups as required.
• Assessing young people’s documentation (eg EHCP) to ensure activities planned are differentiated for the student’s needs.
• Ensuring session costs remain within an agreed budget.
• Collecting and transporting young people in own vehicle as required.
• Keeping accurate records of the student’s provision plan and completing any other required administration as required (eg half-termly reports, attendance at or reporting to reviews, evidencing awards)
• Managing safety and risk on their sessions and reporting any areas of concern to their supervisor.
• Following all Taleblazers policies and procedures, particularly those with reference to safeguarding, and raising safeguarding concerns in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Contributing to the blog and social media.

Person Specification (Essential)

• Outdoor walking leadership qualification – for example South West Summer Moorland Leader or Mountain Training Lowland Leader
• Experience of working with young people with special educational needs (min 1 year)
• L3 First Aid qualification (Outdoor or Paediatric)
• L2 Safeguarding
• Other Mountain Training/Forest School qualification
• Student-centred approach
• Enjoys working with young people outdoors
• Ability to work and plan independently
• Empathic, calm, patient and friendly
• Can do attitude – wants to make a positive difference to young people
• Buys into the wider ethos of Taleblazers and shares our interests

Person Specification (Desirable)

• Previous employment in SEN-facing role
• Teaching qualification
• Experience and training to support working with specific SEN presentation(s)
• Experience in advocacy, counselling or student support
• Experience of assessing EHCPs, designing interventions and reporting on their outcomes
• Willing to contribute to organisational development

Please contact rich@taleblazers.org.uk for more information and an application form.

Application deadline: 20/07/2024

Expected start date: 01/09/2024

We have also ‘twinned’ our new toilet with a toilet in Nepal through Tearfund’s Toilet Twinning scheme, so a Nepali village has also benefitted from the installation of our loo! Rich and Elaine have a soft spot for Nepal, having spent some time out there in the early 2000s, so we loved to be able to support this brilliant scheme.

However, we intend to be running Taleblazers for a very long time! This means that DSRT could be waiting a long time before sharing any financial success. We have therefore decided to make a donation of £250 as a New Year’s gift to DSRT, as a kind of interim statement of our ongoing investment in the community and our desire for other organisations we love to benefit from our success.

Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team are a voluntary charity who help the emergency services to search for and rescue lost, missing, injured and vulnerable people. We most frequently associate them with finding lost walkers on the moors but they are also active in helping to find vulnerable people such as people with dementia, children and people experiencing mental health crises. Over 90% of their income is from donations and we are delighted to be in a position to support them.

At the same time, we have also decided to donate £100 to one of our favourite charities, the John Muir Trust, who conserve, protect and restore wild places across the UK. We share their passion for wild places and their John Muir Award programmes are central to our education work.

Mental Health Benefits

• Stress relief: Crafting can be a great way to relax and de-stress. The repetitive nature of many crafts can help to calm the mind and body.
• Improved mood: Engaging in creative activities can boost the production of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. This can help to improve mood and reduce anxiety.
• Increased self-esteem: Completing a craft project can give you a sense of accomplishment and boost your self-esteem.
• Cognitive stimulation: Crafting can help to keep the mind sharp and improve cognitive function.

Physical Health Benefits

• Improved hand-eye coordination: Many crafts require fine motor skills, which can help to improve hand-eye coordination.
• Reduced pain: Crafting can be a distraction from pain and can help to reduce its intensity.
• Improved sleep: Engaging in relaxing activities like crafting can help to improve sleep quality.
• Strengthened social bonds: Crafting can be a great way to socialise and connect with others.

Additional Benefits

• Creativity: Crafting can help you to tap into your creativity and explore new ideas.
• Productivity: Crafting can help you to be more productive by providing a focus and outlet for your energy.
• Mindfulness: Crafting can help you to be more mindful and present in the moment.
• Sense of community: There are many crafting communities online and in person where you can connect with other people who share your interests.

Why not come along to a Taleblazers session and try some of our crafting activities for yourself? 

We also looked at the waterfalls and filtration leading to how clear the water was falling down the cliffs, and had some fun letting the cold water run through our fingers.

The big task of the day was the tarp line and Karl and I arrived early to get the rope in place. We harvested some saplings from the newly-levelled car park area and the team got to work sharpening these into points to use as stakes. Chris meanwhile was salvaging some boards to build a raised fire pit, removing old nails and screws and working with Hollie to cut them to size. It was an amazing team effort with everyone chipping in and showing the children how to use the knives!

The results are fantastic, I can’t believe that this overgrown patch of woodland has become such a wonderful space in such a short space of time and I am so grateful to everyone for all their efforts.

Making wooden cookie figures

Using a saw and a drill, we made these charming wooden cookie people out of natural materials found in the woodlands, using some cut hazel and some bark shavings for legs. Aren’t they cute! Don’t be deceived by their name; they are sadly non-edible. A wooden ‘cookie’ is a round cross-cut of wood.

Making popcorn – Bushcraft style

Bushcraft popcorn: an open fire, some sieves lashed to some Hazel — and voila — popping popcorn! We have added some sugar, butter and cinnamon for a winning combination.

Looking for signs of wildlife

As we move through the woodland, we can look for badger sets, tracks, droppings, fur, or owl pellets to try and guess what might live in or visit the area. Sometimes, we’ve even spotted deer on our wildlife camera!

Making dens

As the old adage goes, we are estimated to survive for around 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, and 3 hours without shelter (depending on conditions). In bushcraft, we practice our shelter building skills, letting the students lead and offering constructive feedback.

Hanging out in hammocks

With the trees above us, there’s nothing nicer than lying back and listening to the birds. On some sessions we’ve been more noisy, and played instruments (kazoos!) we’ve crafted, or bongos we’ve brought. We’ve meditated, we’ve cocooned, or swung gently in the breeze. And if we’re feeling a little more energetic, we might burn some of it off by tackling the slackline!