Students in Key stage 4 were given the opportunity to visit the new Hair and Beauty Leeds Academy run by the Learning Curve Group. The visit was set up to show interested students another provision in central Leeds that is easily accessible and offers Hairdressing, Beauty, and Barbering.
On the visit students were given an initial talk by Alison Leonard (Business Development Officer) about the different courses on offer, entry requirements and about Career pathways. Students then had a tour of the facilities, seeing the salon and nail areas. Students met with a course tutor and were given the opportunity to speak to the academies current students about their courses and experiences at the college.
Student feedback was very positive, with a 100% of students saying: the visit made them aware of an alternative to mainstream college and would recommend the visit to other students.
Student comments included:
“Found out interesting information about the college, I only thought Leeds City College did courses like this.” Year 10 student
“Was small, but friendly and welcoming, will apply there.” Year 11 student
Feedback from Alison Leonard (Business and Development Officer) at the college about our students visiting the college can be seen below.
“It was lovely meeting with you all this morning. I would just like to say how polite and engaged the learners were that came with yourself to have a look around the college. If anyone is interested in starting a course with us, happy for them to contact me directly.”
The provision has smaller classes (12 students maximum) and a flexible timetable than most mainstream colleges. Overall, it is a very supportive provision. Out of the students who attended, 50 % said they would be making a direct application to the Learning Curve and preferred it over the larger Leeds City College.
The visit met the needs of students, as several students with anxiety showed a preference to this smaller individual setting and if not taken by school may have never visited the provision to inform their post 16 choices.