This is the presentation I designed and developed to promote vschools to headteachers, managers and senior staff. I would select about 10 topics for each school meeting and present a targeted and specific campaign for each school so they could see exactly how the programme is exactly what they are looking for.

1. How is working with vschools a solution to many common challenges in school?

2. Challenges Need to improve exam results % A*-C including English and Maths Need to get year 11s feeling confident in their knowledge and engaged in revision Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

3. Research show that learning by teaching others is one of the best ways to cement knowledge and increase confidence. You could have your year 11s tutor the younger years or run revision clubs with their peers. This could increase grades for GCSEs this year and subsequent years

4. Challenges Need to offer services in the community for extended schools Need to raise Ofsted grades for community cohesion Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

5. Students could set up a community computer club sharing their passion for technology and their skills with people in the community who need to learn these skills. Students would be doing something they enjoy and expanding their own skills and experiences while doing something worthwhile. It enables you to offer more to the community and get young people volunteering.

6. Need to teach the key concepts of the citizenship curriculum Need to get students actively engaged in their own learning Challenges Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

7. Students who love sport could get credits towards their vfifty and simultaneously work towards coaching qualifications or Junior Sports Leaders Awards and share their passion and expertise with others in the community who will benefit. This hands on experience of being a good citizen will benefit the citizenship curriculum and get students excited about their own learning.

8. Need to meet the requirements of section 4 of the Russell Commission Need to meet the Ofsted criteria of community contribution Challenges Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

9. When you create a volunteering ethos in schools, young people are more likely to want to make a contribution to the community for life. Young people could do anything they feel passionately about, whether that’s environmental projects in the community, visiting nursing homes or fundraising for causes they are motivated by. This will see the volunteering ethos in your school motivate students to make a very positive contribution to the community.

10. Challenges Need to work towards Healthy Schools Award Need to get practical experience for Food Tech courses Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

11. Students could set up a ‘Healthy Hut’. Students could earn hours of credits by running a healthy hut at lunchtimes selling nutritious smoothies and snacks that they’ve made in food tech lessons- the profits could even go to charity. They could even design posters about the benefits of healthy eating and living in art lessons for a cross-curricular approach.

12. Challenges Need to reduce NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) figures Want to get more students to stay on post 16 and go to university Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

13. Students will be more likely to be engaged in their future education if they see the benefits first hand by visiting universities and making links with successful people in the community. Students could make videos and presentations about their options post 16 to show to their peers and even other schools. The community will also benefit from having better educated, skilled young people.

14. Challenges Get good publicity for your school Get recognition and reward for students Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

15. It’s great for motivation and morale to be able to really praise your students for their achievements. With vschools, students can log their hours spent in and out of school on community action, including things they’ve already done. The opportunities and awards achieved will all be promoted on your page of the vschools website so you can showcase their talent. 100 2 5

16. Challenges Improve behaviour of students in school and in the community Make students more independent learners Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

17. Get students to take on responsibility in and out of school to encourage maturity, independence and a sense of pride in their actions and achieve their awards in the process. Whether it’s getting shopping for elderly people, fundraising or being a behaviour monitor in school, having high expectations and giving students the opportunity to be responsible reaps rewards. Food Shopping for Ethel

18. Challenges Need to meet the criteria on the Every Child Matters agenda Need to get young people more support in school Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

19. Get year 10 and year 11 students running peer mentoring, cyber-mentoring, anti-bullying, buddying and listening services or social support groups for those who need them. Students easily accrue hours towards their awards and develop leadership, listening, communication and problem solving skills, while helping their peers. Young people could also do this out of school by volunteering at disability clubs, brownies etc.

20. Challenges Need to improve attendance Need to engage disaffected young people Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

21. Let vschools help you to motivate young people by finding their passion. Once students are engaged they will want to be involved in school which will see their attendance improve. If a truanting student wants to run a DJing workshop for other disaffected students, coach a school basketball team or put on a charity talent show with their peers and doing so will bring them into school and earn them their vfifty award, then this is a perfect solution.

22. Challenges Need to offer alternative opportunities for low achievers Need to offer kinaesthetic learning opportunities Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

23. Young people can work towards the nationally recognised vfifty using hands on skills on projects that matter to them. The v awards work in conjunction with other qualifications and awards such as ASDAN and Duke of Edinburgh enabling young people to get more recognition without doubling work.

24. Challenges Improve students transferable and vocational skills Find work placements and get hands on business and enterprise experience Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

25. Universities and employers expect experience and a huge range of skills to give young people an opportunity. By volunteering, young people get the skills, experience and references they need. They can even build their CV based on these experiences on our website.

26. Challenges Work towards Eco-Schools award Get young people taking responsibility for their environment Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

27. Young people can set up environmental projects that will help the school gain Eco-Schools Award and make them more aware of their environment and what they need to do to look after it both in school and in the global community. Students can earn hours towards their vfifty by cashing in old mobile phones for charity, collecting clothes for charity shops, collecting litter for art and textiles projects, sending ink cartridges to be refilled etc…the list goes on.

28. Challenges Want more exciting opportunities to be happening in school Need funding to put on projects and initiatives Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

29. Work with vschools we can help you to find funding, competitions with cash prizes along with resources and support. The Princes Trust offer grants of up to £5000 and there are many other sources once you really get involved with community action

30. Challenges Want students to have a good reputation Want to motivate young people to be the best they can be Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

31. Help young people ditch their negative ‘Hoody’ image by giving something back to their community and proving their worth. Look at the v ‘good for nothing’ campaign. Young people can earn their hours towards their award by doing anything that benefits other people, without being paid, i.e. being ‘good’ for ‘nothing’. In fact the negative stereotypes of teenagers are particularly unfair since young people volunteer more than any other age group.

32. Challenges Want to become an International School Want to build community links Solution: Work with vschools. Your students can then gain credits towards their vfifty award while getting involved in community action that provides solutions to your challenges.

33. Your students could work on fundraising, campaigning and resource deployment projects for schools overseas, working with the community and local schools. Your students can also help plan cross curricular projects to raise awareness of international issues. All of these activities can accrue hours for their award and the school is more likely to be crowned an international school.

34. So you can see that working with vschools is a WIN WIN way to take your community action to the next level. We look forward to being able to help you achieve your goals.