The learning will take place through project work which will be strongly supported by employers, developing key employability skills in young people that employers are looking for.

Students will learn through a range of projects in school. With support from local employers they will also have the chance to take part in paid and unpaid work placements that will equip them with the necessary employability skills to transfer to a full-time job in the future.

Local employers are fully involved in developing the curriculum to make sure that students gain the employability and enterprise skills that employers are looking for.

No. Studio Schools offer both academic and vocational qualifications. They have been designed to break through the traditional divide between academic/highly valued education and vocational/’second best’ training. What makes them unique is not what is offered but how it is delivered. Studio Schools take learning out of a traditional classroom setting and deliver both vocational and academic qualifications through Work Related Projects.

All students in Studio Schools meet frequently with a Personal Coach who works with them to identify and meet personal targets, helping them to tailor the Studio School’s curriculum, and their suite of qualifications, to their individual needs and aspirations. Personal Coaches support students through one-to-one meetings, group coaching sessions and practical learning.

No. Studio Schools are fully compliant with the Schools Admissions Code. They are a 14-19 options choice, aimed at students who are better suited to a more ‘hands-on’ approach to learning. However it should be noted that, as academies, they do have the option to select 10% of their students by reference to a specific aptitude.

For a Studio School to be successful it has to be supported by a range of employers who can offer ‘insight’ into their approach to work. The Studio School will bring a cluster of innovative companies into the learning environment to ensure industry and education work in partnership. A strong industry-education collaboration will also ensure that the courses we offer keep up-to-date with the realities and needs of today’s health, early years and social care sectors.
The kinds of activities offered by employers to a studio school can include;

• Guest Speakers in the classroom
• Educational visits to an employer’s business premises and overview given of business process and operational systems
• Sponsorship of equipment, activities and specialist awards

Eleven is too early to choose a subject path to follow and 16 is too late.
Students who know what they want to do can often become bored at school and so underachieve by the time they are sixteen.

We will:

Send you reports three times per year about how well they are progressing and areas for development.
Invite you to parent’s evenings throughout the year to discuss their progress and targets.

Yes, all students have a structured tutorial session every week. These sessions cover topics such as being safe, being healthy, managing money, succeeding and how to plan their future (career and university advice). The tutor is also your direct link with Devon Studio School and will meet on a one to one basis with your son/daughter/ward regularly to set targets and monitor their progress.

A Studio School is a new type of school model for 14 to 19 year olds of all abilities. Studio Schools are designed to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to succeed in work. Studio Schools pioneer a bold new approach to learning in the real world, helping young people to develop the skills they need to succeed.

The focus of Devon Studio School will be health, social care and early years. Students will still study the core GCSE subjects, including English, maths and science alongside a choice of vocational subjects. Studio Schools are small schools for 300 students who will wear business-dress and study a full working day that is designed to replicate and prepare students for the real world of work.

Yes. All Studio Schools teach the National Curriculum and offer the same key academic qualifications as traditional schools. Students work towards GCSEs in English, maths and dual award science as a minimum.

What makes Studio Schools unique is not what is delivered but how it is delivered. The Studio Schools curriculum moves away from traditional methods of subject delivery with the curriculum delivered principally through multidisciplinary Enterprise Projects in the school and surrounding community.

At Devon Studio School work placements will be offered in a range of settings according to the vocational qualification students are studying.

Yes. Studio Schools offer a range of key qualifications. On leaving their Studio School, students will have gained at least Level 2 qualifications, and will be able to study at Level 3 and beyond. They will have a range of progression routes available to them including the potential to go to university.

No. Studio Schools are all state schools. They do not charge fees.

It allows a student to study a subject they are really interested in which is taught in industry standard facilities by teachers with real life practical experience. By 16 their creative skills are far in advance of those students in a standard comprehensive school and they have more enthusiastic engagement with their academic studies which leads to greater achievement in this area.

Studio School students receive a broad education including English, maths and science combined with practical and creative vocational qualifications, which are recognised by employers and universities. They also develop business and financial literacy. The skills they learn and the qualifications they receive are transferable to other post-16 provision and are recognised by employers.

The development of the school will be closely linked with South Devon College. Ofsted graded the College as Outstanding, during their last inspection. Devon Studio School will be subject to its own pre-opening and continual Ofsted inspection.

Yes, all pupils who are eligible for free school meals will still have that entitlement.

If you receive Income Support, Job Seeker’s Allowance (income-based), the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit, Employment Support Allowance (income related), support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or Child Tax Credit without Working Tax Credit and an annual taxable income of less than £16,190 and you have a child at primary, secondary or special school, you can apply for free school meals.

For more information telephone 01803 208244or email fsm@torbay.gov.uk
You can download a form from www.torbay.gov.uk or get one from your child’s school when they start.

Yes. We have a team of student absence monitors that support students. We expect full attendance and 100% punctuality from our students as we know this affects their ability to reach their full potential and succeed.

We have processes in place to monitor student attendance, work with the students’ tutor to address patterns of poor attendance and keep parents informed when a student is invited to a meeting to discuss attendance.

The safety of our students is paramount, we have a designated child protection and safeguarding team, which works closely with tutors so that young people are protected from harm and have the support they need. Please have a look at our Safeguarding Policy if you would like further details.

All students will follow a programme of holistic education which will combine the national curriculum, wider personal and professional education and vocational expertise. All our subjects are taught by teachers holding a post-graduate certificate in education.

Click through from the diagram created under What We Do. Also could this be changed to Curriculum as parents don’t understand what the section means?