Holmfirth High School Case Study

About Holmfirth High School

Holmfirth High School first opened in 1959. Originally built as a Secondary Modern School to house 600 students, the buildings have been extended, with significant modification and development, to accommodate the expansion into an 11-16 Mixed Comprehensive School with over 1300 students.

The school is a mathematics, computing and applied learning specialist and is committed to embedding ICT in the curriculum. Students enjoy access to 5 ICT suites, a library with computing resources and many departments have tablets or laptops to enable ICT to be embedded in the curriculum. Studying online is therefore ‘normal’ and accessible for the ‘digital natives’ of Holmfirth High School.

The Challenge

Michele McLoughlin is Head of Enrichment and Business Studies at Holmfirth High with a remit which includes enterprise and gifted and talented programmes.

Michele oversees the extensive work related learning programme for year 9 students which includes first aid, health and safety, food hygiene, enterprise, careers and personal finance. This course has been running for the last four years and helps all 250 male and female students in year 9 to gain valuable preparation for work knowledge.

Based in West Yorkshire and famous for being the location of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, Holmfirth is a popular tourist destination. The leisure industry in the area offers part-time employment opportunities for students still at school and valuable experience for those who wish to pursue a career in the sector.

The Delivery

Virtual College’s online food safety and hygiene resources are used as part of a blended learning approach.

Students have six weeks to complete this section of the work experience program, with online learning allowing them to progress at their own pace.

Supplementary materials are available for those who complete the content quickly, while e-learning provides flexibility for all students.

Those who miss sessions can catch up on their training at home or in the library.

The Results

Michele highlighted that students are accustomed to online learning and also have access to personal finance and health and safety e-learning resources as part of their work-related program.

Virtual College’s Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene resources are both engaging and provide students with a qualification, giving them a competitive edge in the job market.

Some students have been so motivated that they have pursued Level 3 certification independently.

Additionally, staff members have used the resources to update their accreditation.

Delivering learning resources online offers flexibility and aligns with how young people naturally learn.

Michele sees opportunities to expand employability courses using e-learning and expects schools’ use of online learning to grow, especially as economies of scale help reduce costs.