Everyone’s a Winner!
One month after joining The BUSY Group, experienced teacher, Chelcie Bentvelzen, is clear about what can be achieved for young people looking to reengage with their education, stating, “With the right relationships and opportunities, every learner can thrive.”
Experienced in a variety of education settings, Chelcie had become increasingly concerned that a one-size-fits-all system wasn’t working for everyone. She has seen firsthand how the single-minded pursuit of academic achievement could sometimes be at the expense of the confidence, personal growth and well-being of pupils who needed a more customised approach to learning. It was a model that was creating losers as well as winners.
Chelcie’s own search for a more inclusive educational philosophy led her to teaching individuals in prison and young people in Pupil Referral Units – learners whose potential might previously have been overlooked or underestimated but which could be unlocked by a more personalised teaching model.
Now, Chelcie is driving The BUSY Group’s provision in Cardiff which is delivered in partnership with the Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, the official charity of Cardiff City Football Club. The partnership uses football to transform alternative education for disengaged pupils in South Wales, and the provision builds on the evidence-based model developed by The BUSY School in Australia. There, a network of Alternative Education schools provide a destination of choice for young people that delivers essential learning and skills to complete senior high school. This coupled up with life and employability skills while maintaining a strong focus on wellbeing, mental health and SEND needs is an approach that aligns perfectly with Chelcie’s own values as an educator.
The provision in Cardiff uses a trauma-informed approach to work intensively with previously disengaged young people in secondary schools who have been referred by their host schools. An integral part of the programme is the alternative sports pathway delivery through which pupils gain a coaching award in Sport. The award allows students to explore different styles of coaching, teamwork and motivation as well as practical ways to stay healthy and active.
As a newly approved Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Centre, the programme is also enabling learners to work towards their Bronze Award, developing teamwork, resilience and independence through volunteering, physical activity, skill-building and expedition experiences. To mark the achievement, staff and learners were recently invited to the Senedd to be formally presented with their Duke of Edinburgh registration certificate and had the opportunity to meet HRH Prince Edward who took the time to speak with the group about the Cardiff provision.
Even before its official launch in December, the impact of the provision has been significant as learners have re-engaged with their education and begun to take pride in their own achievements.
“My first month at The BUSY Group,” Chelcie says, “has been incredibly exciting.”
One student, whose mainstream school attendance had averaged 30% is now celebrating their 100% attendance record here. Another, who has faced significant personal struggles, now refers to school as her safe space. And a parent of one of the learners shared a message about her son that sums up precisely what the provision is working to achieve, stating “He seems like a different boy now, just so happy, calm and relieved since being with you…. He loves going there and he’s so much more relaxed at home.”
After a great start, both the BUSY Group and the Cardiff City FC Community Foundation are confident that the provision will become a destination of choice for learners in South Wales. One through which all of its young people can achieve their Unbounded Possibilities.