Caring Wrexham school scoops top Welsh accolade

A WREXHAM project which has given pupils an insight into a career in social care has scooped one of the most prominent awards in the sector in Wales.

The Pendine Park Teaching Care Centre, which teamed up with the nearby St. Joseph’s High School won in the Learning about Caring category at the Social Care Accolades Awards.

The project was named joint winners with a scheme based in Neath Port Talbot known as the Golden Heart Awards.

The joint prize was presented by the deputy minister for social services, Gwenda Thomas AM at a packed gala award ceremony held at Cardiff City Hall.

The project aims to get young people to opt for a career in social care by encouraging them to share their experience while giving them a realistic understanding of what it would be like to be working within the social care sector.

The Teaching Care Centre’s innovative approach has been so well received by pupils at St Joseph’s, it has helped in the pupils GCSE in health and social care and has been recognised in St Joseph’s Estyn inspection report.

The GCSE course provides students with two qualifications upon completion. To date 100 per cent of pupils have received grades between A and C. Ten pupils have also gone on to study related qualifications in the sixth form.

Tracey Evans, teaching care centre manager from Pendine Park said: “It is really brilliant to be recognised for our work.

“For the future of the initiative we are hoping to promote the project throughout other local authorities.

“We are hoping it will be something that others can take on and promote.”

The project will now work with the Care Council to demonstrate and share best practice within the care sector in workshops to be held in north and south Wales in the autumn.

Other organisations will learn from the experiences and successes of the winning projects.