KORU Engagement Programme Introduction
The Koru 7-14 week Engagement Programme aims to provide young people with knowledge and skills that empower their learning. The program takes place in welcoming classroom where learning is celebrated and mistakes are tolerated.
Resilience, Respect and Repetition underpin the Koru Engagement curriculum.
Lessons in Resilience aim to help young people understand that in growing up everyone faces difficulties. The classes aim to emphasize the importance of building ability to bounce back positively from life’s challenges, learning from mistakes and taking accountability for own decisions.
Lessons in Respect focus on honesty, acceptance, empathy, individual identity, local identity, community, self-respect, respect for others and the curriculum. Our students have the opportunity to learn in small groups where working together as a team is always encouraged.
We value Repetition and remind students that learning takes effort, encouraging them to put the hours in, invest, participate and rewards will come.
Our staff have a reactive teaching approach empathising with young people and listening to their voice. We work with each student individually to find ways for them to access learning and to find enjoyment in education. We look to legitimise all activities and make the most of the time we have finding creative ways for our students to improve in English and Maths and their fundamental skills.
We have a proactive approach to communication. Hosting meetings, answering the phone, sending and replying to messages. We believe that fluid communication between all parties helps towards reaching positive and timely outcomes for our young people.
Koru staff have expertise with a wide range of difficulties faced by 12-16 year olds. We recognise the number of challenges young people face is growing. Koru aims to be an accepting educational setting that will provide a place where young people can grow their ‘Growth Mindset’. Once a young person feels accepted and has a place to belong learning begins.
The Koru Engagement programme is an opportunity for young people to learn how to deal with their problems, try new things, pick up new skills, make friends and step by step grow into the best version of themselves that they can be.
The Programme:
The programme is 7 weeks. The student is reviewed after 4 weeks to see if they are ready to integrate back into mainstream school. At this point a review meeting is held with the student, Koru staff, the mainstream school, the Local Authority and parent/carer. If all professionals are in agreement for the student to start the re-integration process back to the mainstream school this will start with one or two days a week whilst at Koru. The increase in these days depends on the engagement of the student and if the re-integration is successful the student can increase the days per week at the mainstream school until full-time. During this process the student is fully supported by Koru staff and all professionals involved. If the student requires more time to re-integrate back to their mainstream school this can be accommodated by Koru.
