Credit: This story was first seen on PIE News
Sixth form pupils at Truro School in Cornwall will head out into the world equipped to deal with student finance, first aid and car maintenance after completing a ‘practical life skills carousel’ course, PIE News reports.
Truro is among a growing number of schools in the UK that are adding independent living courses such as financial management, mindfulness, cooking on a budget and cleaning to their offer.
After years of being supported by teachers and pastoral teams, “It’s really important that when students leave school and they may not have that robust support, they know how to look after themselves and how to handle themselves,” commented Lucy Jupp, Truro’s co-head of sixth form.
“In the sixth form [teaching students aged 17-18], we seek to prepare students to go off to big cities, possibly even abroad, or into the workplace,” she added. “They need to know how to look after themselves and to have that resilience for the future.”
Truro is by no means the first institution to introduce courses targeted at preparing students for life beyond the school gates. Already mindful of their extra curricular USP – especially their focus on outdoor activities and leadership skills – independent schools are hoping these courses will be an added attraction for international students.
Wrekin College in Shropshire told PIE News about their particular approach.
Launched in 2013, Wrekin College’s ‘Our House’ program is designed to simulate life in student-style accommodation, by allowing students to spend a week in a secure and independent house on the school’s campus.
Students must cook, clean and look after themselves while keeping up with their school work. At the end of the week they have to host a dinner party for a member of staff to show off their culinary skills.
The program is “hugely popular”, according to the school’s international registrar, Daniel Rutter.
“The transition from sixth form to university or independent living can be daunting,” Rutter commented. “The skills learned within this program ease the transition to living independently and we hope, last for life.”
The program is especially beneficial for international students, who “face the added pressure of studying in an environment thousands of miles away from home”, he added.
“The ‘our house’ program ensures that students are ready for the challenges of living independently in a higher education setting within a foreign culture.”