The Place Programme | Support for Home Based Learning

Corona Virus Update

Support for home based learners from early years up to GCSE

PLACE is a Bedford Local Authority support service for home educating families managed by Biddenham International School and Sports College. To be eligible to register with the scheme, children should be Bedford Borough residents on the elective home education (EHE) register of the Bedford Borough local authority.

The PLACE Progamme provides significant support for PLACE-registered GCSE learners, including part-time specialist support for a number of GCSE subjects and entrance for public examinations.

PLACE also runs a busy enrichment programme for enrolled youngsters from ages four to sixteen and, in addition, provides guidance and signposting for special educational needs issues.

Challenging TimesJuly 26, 2021This year, our end of year get-together was a real challenge (and not because of the weather, which was perfect). PLACE youngsters came together with our friends from Sports Support to deal with a series of outdoor challenges including: escaping the ‘Spiders Web’, staying safe during ‘Toxic Waste’ and avoiding capture while stealing rings from the ‘Giants Finger’, and… the Terminator Turmoil Inflatable Obstacle Course and… the ‘Teeter Totter’ bridge… and a whole lot more. We also dealt with the really sticky challenge of toasting marshmallows over a campfire …and the challenge of eating a whole pizza each Finally a big “thank you” to the coaches from Sports Support, who made sure we all had a really great (and challenging) time. Here are a few more pics of our day of adventure and challenge:...
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The Old NormalJune 30, 2021Nothing much to see here – just some youngsters having an art lesson. But for the first time in so long, they and their teacher are together in the same room – interacting and using materials in a way that hasn’t been possible during our on-line sessions. Nothing much to see – but we are a step closer to the ‘old normal’. Do have a look at our gallery showing Year 10 GCSE Art students and their teacher Sue – together again. ...
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The Art of GardeningJune 24, 2021Just a few miles outside Bedford near the village of Stevington is Kathy Brown’s Garden. The garden is built around a nineteenth century manor house, with the design of the surrounding gardens being inspired by the work of some of the great artists of the last two centuries – Hepworth, Monet, Mondrian, et al. So what better PLACE for our GCSE art students to seek inspiration; and to this end we spent a morning at the gardens with Kathy herself hosting the event. Of course not everyone was fully engaged by the link between art and gardening… some were more interested in a tickle under the chin and relaxing in the gorgeous sunshine. So many thanks to Kathy for looking after us today and giving us insights into how her love of art has fed into the creation of her beautiful garden. ...
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Back in the LabsMay 26, 2021PLACE families are now back face-to-face in the lab after being on-line for more than a year. It is this lab work which reminds us how vital the ‘hands-on’ experience is when it comes to learning science. In attendance at one of our lab sessions was PLACE manager June McDonald, who took a typically ‘hands-on’ approach resulting in a hair raising experience… It is hoped that by mid-June all of our GCSE courses will be back face to face. PLACE sporting activities such as multisports, swimming classes, gymnastics and trampoline have been “live” since April. When restrictions ease further, our programme of arts activities will also resume face-to-face....
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Chris PulestonMarch 11, 2020One of the things we are trying to do with PLACE music is to give our youngsters as diverse and accessible a musical experience as possible and to encourage them to feel that they can all find something in music to enjoy and with which to get involved. To this end, our music tutor Debbie Milton invited multi-instrumentalist Chris Puleston along to one of our sessions. Chris is nothing if not diverse – when did you last see a sitar, didgeridoo and Tibetan singing bowl all on the same bill? This was such an exciting session for our youngsters, with Chris demonstrating instruments and music from across many cultures. Chris is a wonderful entertainer who demonstrated a great rapport with his young audience and got everyone fired up and actively engaged! Have a look at the little videos below to see Chris and the PLACE kids (and some mums!) in action. And as a bonus, a few photos of our session …...
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Audley End HouseFebruary 28, 2020This term’s theme is “The 19th Century”. To help us to explore this period, we visited Audley End, one of the nation’s grand country houses. Our visit focussed on the role of the servant on these great estates. Working as a servant in a stately home was considered to be a ‘good job’ – mainly because the food was of high quality and clothes were provided in the form of house uniforms – but the hours were long, the pay for most was poor (especially for women) and there was no job security. Servants could be sacked for a trivial misdemeanour or on the whim of the master. It was a time when a long and happy life was for the few, not the many, and those who worked hard to create wealth saw few of the benefits. It wasn’t until the political changes of the next century that we started to see a fairer society, and Audley End was then taken into public ownership … but that’s another story and another visit, e.g., Manchester in July… Here are a few “below stairs” photos of our visit: ...
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