Proficiency in Maths and English is vital for anyone who wants good qualifications or paid employment. For example, to take A Levels or go to university, you’ll almost certainly need GCSEs in Maths and English. And it’s a requirement for getting practically any job too.

At the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, we run an annual Maths and English Fortnight where we focus on these key subjects and give learners opportunities to explore them beyond their usual curriculum and acquire new skills. This year’s fortnight ran from 13-24 January 2020 and during it, our Enrichment team held a number of workshops for students.

During an English creative writing session our students got an insight into what creative writing is and how to develop their own creative writing skills. Based on an English language paper that was relevant to their classes, the session encouraged learners to explore their creativity and broke-down step-by-step how to write a story. The students used objects and pictures to tap into their imagination and worked in groups to form ideas.

The maths workshop aimed to teach students the subject through the use of African art and music. The session gave students a different perspective on maths and how they can solve problems by using drums and images to count and create memory prompts for maths methods. The students were very active during the lesson and were encouraged by their tutor throughout.

Organiser and Learner Engagement Officer, Louise Webber, said: “The students were really engaged in all the sessions.

“Maths and English are both such vital skills in day to day life as well as being a requirement when applying for most jobs. During Maths and English fortnight we aim to help our learners develop new skills that they can use throughout the year as they aim to get their qualifications in the summer.”

The Benefits of Having Maths and English Skills

Having a strong grounding in Maths and English is vital for young people in today’s job market. These subjects act as basic filters for employers. Here are four reasons why Maths and English are so important:

1. Further Study Opportunities
   Many further education and university courses require a good level of Maths and English – regardless of the subject. Typically, Level 2 is the minimum required. Level 2 is equivalent to GCSE grade 4 or higher (old grading system A*-C). 
2. Employment Opportunities
   Employers want applied and practical maths skills including approximation, mental arithmetic, capability with visual data, a solid grasp of units of measurement, the ability to check their own calculations and simple problem-solving. A major survey of skill levels among adults in work found that, for employers, English skills are of greatest concern, in particular communication skills (listening and speaking) such as good writing, spelling, grammar and vocabulary could be improved.
3. Income
   Employees who achieve good GCSE grades are likely to be earning at least £2,000 per year more than those who do not. 
4. Health
   There is even evidence to suggest that people with higher skills in Maths and English have a longer life expectancy.

So, with good English and Maths skills, you can access Higher Education, gain rewarding employment, earn more and potentially live a longer life.

This week is National Apprenticeships Week #NAW2020 (an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships across England) and, as one of London’s leading apprenticeship providers, delivering over 1,250 apprenticeships in 2019, we’re celebrating one of our shining stars, Customer Service Level 2 apprentice David Brown.

Like all apprentices, David has a job – he works in North Middlesex Hospital as a Health Records Assistant. David started his apprenticeship in September 2017 and told us: “It was my manager who found the apprenticeship course on the North Middlesex Hospital Intranet.”

During an apprenticeship, the apprentice usually spends one day each week in the classroom where they study for a qualification, and they do their paid job with their employer the other four days of the week. For David, his one day of learning was at fellow member of the Capital City College Group, the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL)’s Tottenham Centre, studying for a Customer Service Level 2 Diploma.

David, having worked at the hospital for a number of years, started the apprenticeship to develop new skills that will stay with him forever. When asked what he enjoyed the most about his apprenticeship, David said, “I would say improving on my written and verbal communication skills. This has given me more confidence when talking to patients or colleagues.”

First to gain a Distinction

David is the first of our learners to achieve a Distinction on the Customer Service Level 2 Apprenticeship. He said: “When I heard I was the first to get a Distinction I felt very proud of myself. It was hard work but it all feels worth it now.”

When asked about the tutors he had throughout his apprenticeship, David said, “For me, my maths and English tutor really helped and encourage me to pass my maths and English exams. My assessor was also very supportive of me, especially concerning my coursework. They really pushed me and helped me to achieve this Distinction.”

We are the training arm of the Capital City College Group that delivers Apprenticeships. We bring together the expertise of three of London’s largest and most respected colleges – City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL). Together they provide a workforce equipped for today’s opportunities through apprenticeships, continual professional development (CPD) courses and bespoke training.

With the New Year underway, we revisit some key pointers for effective learning, brought to you by our award-winning careers team at the Sixth Form College in Angel.

Know your learning style

“It’s important to first understand how best you take in information,” says Head of Careers, Joanne Bishop. “Many people make the mistake of assuming there’s one way to learn new things, but everyone has their own relationship with their work: some people learn quickly, and others need a little more time and deliberation. Some people learn best by hearing information and others need to repeat it.”

The VARK questionnaire, available here, is a twenty question assessment that helps you understand your learning style. A five minute test might be your key to making better notes and developing a more efficient strategy for taking things in.

Incentivise yourself

While we can wish we were always perfectly self-motivated and well-enthused, it ain’t always that simple. A 2013 study found that the anticipation of a good reward enhanced memory in both younger and older adults. A fifteen minute break and something to eat might be just what you needed to pass your exams after all!

In 2011, a study at the University of Illinois found that study performance started to decline after 50 minutes of constant work, but that this could be avoided with occasional pauses.

For your health, the NHS recommends you should spend two hours of the working day stood up; we advise you get up and walk around at least every twenty minutes to help flush out the waste lactic acid built up while sitting in one position.

Keep to schedule

“Organise your learning around a clear and consistent schedule. Be realistic about the amount of time you can devote to studying each day – it’s better to promise yourself twenty minutes and do it than aim for an hour and not,” says Jo. A small but achievable goal is much more likely to motivate you to keep going past your target than something overly ambitious and demoralising.

Breaking up your schedule also helps reinforce learning as you find yourself consistently going over the same ideas; cramming ten hours of work into the first day and taking the rest of the week off is not only stressful, but ultimately doesn’t help to strengthen the muscle of retaining information.

Work together

It’s easy to tell yourself you would have got that right ion the exam or that you think you understand what that quote means, but checking with a friend is a safer bet. “Find somebody who will help you keep to schedule, and that who you can talk with candidly when you don’t understand something.”

Teaching somebody something is also a great way to check you fully understand a concept, and more – that you can verbalise it in a clear way. Even if you’re sure you know what you’re talking about, make sure you know what you want to say before going into the exam.

Put distance between yourself and distractions

Enduring hard work is always going to come a close second to mindless distraction, but it’s your responsibility to help get the balance right.

A number of apps are now available for iOS and Android, offering points-to-prizes schemes based on how long you can leave your phone untouched. Consider tying in devices and social media access to your reward schemes, but first do the kind thing and minimise temptation. It’s much harder to procrastinate when you remove sources of entertainment, and faced with nothing better to do you may find yourself working harder!

As part of Global Enterprise Week, the College of Haringey Enfield and North East London invited business owner Gabrielle Phillips to talk to Hair and Beauty students about starting their own business.

Gabrielle, the founder of a business called Wig Wash and Drop, hosted seminars on what it takes to create a business in the hairdressing sector, at both our Tottenham and Enfield centres. She gave a motivational speech about her journey and what it takes.

Gabrielle said “We offer a range of services at Wig Wash and Drop. We revive all wigs, both synthetic and human hair, hair bundles and hair extensions. The simple three-step process makes it easy for customers to drop off their wigs, have them refurbished or cleaned and pick them up.

“Coming in and talking to the students today was really fun. It’s nice to give back and share my knowledge with the students. It felt good to share my experiences and journey and hopefully I can help someone else start their own business.”

Inspired by Gabrielle’s talk, the classes had shared ideas and had discussions that sparked good plans for future businesses. This was the aim of the seminar as part of Global Enterprise Week, a week of global events aimed to inspire and create awareness of entrepreneurship.

Organiser of the seminar, Louise Webber, said, “Sessions like this are key for our students, to motivate them and give them honest and vital information needed to succeed in the real world. The students were really engaged and I know they took a lot away from Gabrielle.”

On 22 January 2020, the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, a leading provider of accountancy training, hosted over 120 prospective students at Make Your Future Count – its accounting apprenticeships and careers conference.

The half-day event brought together local employers and household names, including CIMA, CIPFA, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, BKL Chartered Accountants, Haringey Council, Adroit Accountax and AAT – the world’s leading professional body for accounting technicians.

Opening the conference, Robin Hindley, Interim Deputy Principal of CONEL, said: “Our aim today is to inspire the next generation of star accountants. CONEL’s accountancy faculty is one of the college’s shining stars and we hope that you’ll want to enrol here to start your accountancy career.”

Sarah Ebanja, Chief Executive of the Spurs Foundation (Tottenham Hotspur football club’s award-winning charitable body) and a Governor of the Capital City College Group, said: “When you are in an apprenticeship and linked to an employer, what you are doing is contributing and really making a difference every day, not only for yourself but for your community.

“CONEL is the club’s local college and what’s really important at CONEL is not just what goes on at the front of the classroom; there’s lots of support as well that enables the learner to get the best out of their course.”

Leadership Through Sport & Business (LTSB) is a social mobility charity that prepares and supports bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into meaningful roles with major firms. They have worked with CONEL for a number of years and Catherine Gurner (Employment consultant) and Kevser Kilinc (she studied at CONEL and found work through us and LTSB), both spoke at the conference.

Catherine told us: “Part of what we at LTSB believe in so much through the charity, is that we really can make a difference to young people.” Kevser, who is now a financial analyst at Redington, said, “When coming to CONEL, you’re coming into a huge amount of support that becomes your second family. They’re forever there to contact and they work 24/7 to get you that job.”

The conference aimed to inspire the next generation of young accountants, so the programme included talks and sessions from current and ex-CONEL students. Level 2 AAT Accountancy student Arun Singh, said: “When I was looking for a college to study at, CONEL stood out to me and now I am here, I’ve learnt a lot about accounting and work life. I have also learnt a lot about myself and how to change myself to become a professional in this industry. If you have a head for figures then a career in accounting could be for you.”

Our courses and apprenticeships will provide you with the skills and experience you need to get the best possible start in London’s financial world, whether you want to be a high-flyer in the city or managing the books for local businesses.

On Tuesday 14 January, three City and Islington College students, studying at our Sixth Form College, presented new scientific findings at the Institute of Physics following months of research.

Merian Alit, Toma Kolev and Dimona Videnlieva, A Level Physics students, were received by their scientific peers, having spent the last sixth months investigating the link between urban pollution and cosmic particles reaching earth.

The students kicked-off Tuesday with an interview with the Islington Gazette before heading over to the Institute of Physics HQ in Kings Cross to present their findings alongside University of London physicist Dr Ben Still.

The sixth formers garnered attention for their work after receiving a research award from the Sussex University-based High School Project on Astrophysics with Cosmics (HiSPARC). They were noted as being the first students in London to build a cosmic particle detector.

The detector, which sits on the roof of the Institute of Physics’ building, tracks high-energy particles from space known as cosmic rays. These interact with the Earth’s atmosphere to produce showers of secondary particles that can reach the planet’s surface. The detector collected data on one such secondary particle called a muon, and compared pollution levels in London with data from other HiSPARC research around the world. The results showed a small negative correlation between pollution and muons – that is, the more pollution there is in a city, the fewer muons reach the ground.

Dimona, 19, told the Gazette: “I really enjoyed working in the team. Because we were a small group it helped and we became friends.

“Air pollution is something we are concerned about and wanted to look into. We have come a long way since the 1950s in terms of finding solutions for tackling the problems that affect London, but there is still a lot left to do.”

At the Institute of Physics the students explained their findings to an audience of scientists and fellow students, before learning more about muons and particle physics in a lecture with Dr Ben Still. Talking about the unknown areas of particle physics, Dr Still concluded: “These are the important questions that we hope will be answered by your generation.”

The students later confirmed that they all intended to pursue careers in science, with Dimona heading off to study Physics at university, Toma looking towards Computer Science and Merian interested in further study in Biomedicine and Health.

Before Christmas, the Metropolitan Police visited the College of Haringey Enfield & North East London’s Tottenham and Enfield Centres to deliver their Makepeace session as part of our Young Londoners Fund programme.

Makepeace is a presentation delivered by specially trained Metropolitan Police firearms officers to young people aged 11 and above, on the consequences of youth violence. Makepeace is designed for young adults growing up in London and provides an opportunity to discuss this vital issue and build trust between them and the police.

The sessions covered a number of topics such as the causes and consequences of youth violence, discussion of real-life case studies, footage from live incidents, basic first aid, how young people can help stop the violence and the work of Specialist Firearms Command (SCO19) in London.

Organiser of the event and CONEL’s Head of Learner Experience and Industry Placements, Anthony Robinson, said, “Sessions like this are great for two reasons. Firstly, they build a relationship between the young people who take part and the police who deliver them. Secondly, they spread awareness of not only the great work the Metropolitan police do but also the horrible effects that knife and gun crime have on the community. The sessions were a great success and all of the students gained something from them.”

Both sessions had the groups fully engaged and got great feedback. Sports Level 3 student Kay Kyprianou, said: “I thought it was very informative. I think statistically it was shocking to see the level of crime and the effects these crimes have on people and their families. It made us more aware of the problems that crimes like this cause on a larger scale.”

Al Campbell, who led the session, said: “It was great to have the opportunity to come down and speak to the students of CONEL. As armed officers we are on the frontline of dealing with knife crime and its victims. Throughout our presentation we use real life case studies and operational footage to deliver a message with an impact around the ongoing issue of serious youth violence and how we can work together to try and prevent it.”

If you would like to find out more about the Makepeace sessions, please click here.