Staff and students from our post 16 department are currently running a successful pop-up café every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Students are involved in the planning and preparation, they are supported to make the items for sale, stocktake to replenish for the following week and the running of the Café. Students have different roles during the activity so they can experience a range of job roles within hospitality and catering.
Students are responsible for the following during the afternoon
This offers our students an experience of a workplace within a sheltered environment.
The order sheet can be found here.
Gatbsy Benchmarks
This activity contributes to Gatsby Benchmark 6 – from completing our Compass audit, we identified BM6 as an area of development. From the TVCA funding we were able to source and buy equipment to run the Café on a weekly basis.
Impact
A total of 13 students from post 16 take part in the activity and run the Café. Class groups from the secondary department access the café as customers, this also gives them the experience of a workplace. This goes towards a unit called `My Independence`, they run a smaller café situation within their class during snack time. They also use Talentino resources this allows students to access careers at every level.
Students enjoy taking part and can relate to a working situation, they have developed skills and confidence for the future. They are fully engaged as they thrive from practical opportunities, this encourages them to try other activities outside of their comfort zone.
From this activity pupils now run the café on a Tuesday afternoon for the parent group and support with breakfast club each morning.
Another positive impact from this weekly activity has led to the schools catering employer (Mellors) facilitating training and other work experience opportunities to build on the skills developed through the Charlbury Café.
Staff Quotes:
“Accessing the café allows students to see the connections from lessons into the working environment”
Pupil Voice:
“I love working in the café, I might get a job in a café near my home when I leave school”
“I enjoy working in the café, I like talking to people”
“I like making the cookies and I’m good at washing up”
“I serve the drinks and food; it makes me feel happy”
Skills the students have developed:
Resources required to make this a success
To allow us to be able to run this activity we have used the following resources;
We are very proud of what our students have managed to achieve. They have built on so many skills and continue to do so on a weekly basis.
