An innovative new partnership between the Nisai Virtual Academy, Oldham Athletic Football Club and Oldham Council has been providing an effective alternative to school and college for a group of young people in the Oldham area who were at risk of underachieving.
The students, who experienced difficulties attending mainstream school, instead now attend the Laticzone at Oldham AFCs Boundary Park stadium.
Using the state of the art facilities at the centre, the students login to the Nisai Virtual Academy to participate in a range of online courses, joining other students from around the country in live, fully interactive lessons which are led by Nisais fully qualified, subject specialist teachers.
Nisai was recommended to me by a colleague working for Oldham Council said Suzy Chapman, Study Support Manager at the centre. The NVA provides young people with an opportunity to access learning in a flexible way. Not all young people enjoy going to or engage at school, however it is still extremely important that they work towards their qualifications and Nisai provides another way for them to be able to do this.
Established in 2003, the Laticzone (so called because of the clubs nickname The Latics) is part of the national Playing for Success initiative, a partnership between sports clubs, the DCSF and local authorities. The initiative uses the stimulus of sport to motivate and engage students who may need additional support with their learning and aims to improve educational standards and attainment levels for pupils.
The Laticzone is the first Playing for Success centre in the country to give young people access to the NVA, enhancing the support and provision already in place by offering the engaging and effective courses that Nisai is able to provide.
The process has been a real eye opener for me and I am now able to recommend Nisai as an alternative study support mechanism to other centres I am in touch with remarked Suzy. The most important thing people should know about the Nisai Virtual Academy is that it is innovative and child friendly and that a wide range of study support is available. Nisai continuously develop their service and adapt their approach to meet the needs of customers and students and as a user of the service you will get all the support you need.
Students at the Laticzone have been studying towards Key Skills qualifications in Numeracy, Literacy and ICT as part of the Nisai Passport to Learning (NP2L) programme. The students receive a timetable of lessons which they access at the centre, in addition to self paced assignments and portfolio work which are collected, completed and submitted through the NVAs secure online portal.
Students have engaged well in lessons and made good progress, with some being moved into more advanced GCSE classes. Our students enjoy working in this way and most have been asking to study more subjects. The young people like the independence it provides commented Suzy. Experiencing the speed at which Nisai have enabled young people to access education at the centre, their enthusiasm and their hard working approach make me want to continue to work with them.
The partnership highlights Nisais approach of developing strong relationships with its customers, enabling young people to be provided with a complete package of support to meet their needs.
I would definitely recommend Nisai to others because I think it is a fantastic service. If there has ever been a problem it has been solved quickly. I am in regular contact with my regional representative and I feel they are very approachable, helpful and understanding of my needs and those of the young people. The partnership has been a learning curve for both services and I feel we have adapted to it well, Suzy concluded.