ASDAN offers its congratulations to all the learners who have completed our qualifications and programmes despite the challenges they have faced in 2020-2021.
This year saw a 93% pass rate across ASDAN qualifications, which range from our Entry Level 1 course Personal Progress to the Level 3 Extended Project Qualification.
Many learners are also celebrating the completion of our unique programmes, including the newly redeveloped Personal Development Programmes, our Short Course suite of more than 30 titles and our My Independence programme for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
Students thrilled with their ASDAN certificates
Claire Mossman, Course leader for the Upskills programme for Year 12 students at Kennet School, Berkshire, said: “All of our students undertaking ASDAN’s Personal and Social Development (PSD) qualifications at Level 2 and those doing the Award of Personal Effectiveness (AoPE) Level 3 passed and are delighted with their certificates.
“ASDAN’s qualifications form a key part of the Upskills programme, which is for students in sixth form who are not yet ready for college, an apprenticeship or work. They do English and maths GCSE retakes, supplemented by PSD and AoPE, and in normal years they also do work experience.
Boosting student engagement and motivation
“The fact that there are no exams required to pass ASDAN’s qualifications is a huge benefit for our learners," Claire said. "They have struggled with exams and academic content all their lives. Many of them start the Upskills programme deflated because they have failed GCSE English and maths.
“Therefore, to be able to do broader qualifications like PSD and AoPE makes a huge difference because it enables them to undertake projects and activities based around their interests. This boosts their engagement and motivation.”
Progression to positive destinations
All of the Upskills students this year are progressing on to positive destinations, including college, a local training provider, as well as meeting the criteria for undertaking further Level 3 qualifications at Kennet from September 2021.
Claire says her highlights in what has been a difficult year for the whole education sector is the transformation she’s seen in two of her learners.
“One of our female students had been a school refuser," Claire said. "She had spent periods being educated at home by a parent or at an alternative education provider.
“At the beginning of the year, the student couldn’t cope with being in school. It was clear she needed help. ASDAN’s PSD gave her the opportunity to explore topics she was interested in and she really enjoyed the module on ‘Preparation for work’ because it was so practical and helpful for the future. We saw a huge improvement as the year progressed in this student’s level of commitment to her work.
“Now she has a PSD qualification and will be progressing on to continue her learning and skills development through a local training provider in September. It’s been really humbling for me to have played a role in this learner’s journey.”
Personalised learning motivates students
Claire adds that a ‘diehard’ football fan was another significant beneficiary of the Upskills programme.
“The flexibility of AoPE allowed one football-obsessed student to do a project on the impact of social media on football players, which was so timely given the issues we’ve seen after this year’s Euros.
“To be able to do a project aligned to your interests means so much to the learners. Following this project, the student told us he had never written so much before nor had he ever written anything in that level of detail.
“We’ve been blown away by the improvement in the learners’ level of English in particular. Because the students are undertaking activities related to their interests, their level of output has increased. We’ve encouraged them to achieve throughout the course and it’s been noticeable how they’ve moved up a gear.”
Proud of learners’ achievements
Jenny Williams, ASDAN Chief Executive, said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to all the learners who have completed our courses this year.
“Given the disruption to young people’s education during the pandemic and the many challenges they have faced, every one of them should be so proud of their achievements.
“None of this would have been possible without the dedication, commitment and hard work of education professionals and everyone across the school community who plays a role in supporting our young people to achieve and to believe in themselves.
“We hope learners are now in a strong position for the next stage in their journey, whether that be education, training, apprenticeships, or work, as well as being able to live independently.”