Sowing the seeds of career success

THERE is nothing standard about a student, they don’t come in standard packages, so why should their study guides be standard?

That is the new way of thinking, and it means teachers will have to find ways of changing the curriculum to meet the needs of individual pupils, instead of expecting pupils to fit in with the curriculum.

Blue Coat School pupil Nathan Christie was picked to try it out to see exactly how it will work. He spoke to reporter Marina Berry.

Sixteen-year-old Nathan Christie is one of Blue Coat School’s brightest and most enthusiastic pupils.

Last year he had a 100 per cent attendance record and is expected to gain As and Bs in his GCSEs.

And unlike many teenagers of his age, he knows exactly what he wants to do for a living.

A love of gardens, encouraged by his grandmother, Sandra Christie, led him along the path of considering a career in horticulture.

“She gave me some seeds and bulbs to plant, I built my own cold frame and now I’m growing lettuce, peas, spring onions and carrots.

“I just love gardening,” said Nathan, who lives in Watersheddings.

Nathan was picked to trial the personal learning programme at Blue Coat because of his enthusiasm for horticulture.

“We thought we would give it a try, and Nathan has responded well to everything,” said assistant head, Malcolm Sweetlove.

In a bid to give the youngster as wide a taste as possible of jobs in that line, the tutor set about finding suitable work experience opportunities.

His success opened a whole new world for Nathan, who was invited to work alongside Peter Marron, head groundsman at Old Trafford Cricket Ground and also to work on the ground at neighbours Manchester United.

“That was brilliant,” said Nathan. He broke from work to have lunch each day with the players and Sir Alex Ferguson, and even got the chance for a kickabout with goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar.

He also spent a stint working with the head gardener at TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage, another experience which will stay with him forever.

“I helped in the kitchen garden and with the livestock, looking after newborn lambs and chickens. It was wonderful,” said Nathan.

He made such an impression that head gardener Mark Diacono penned a reference commending him for his enthusiasm, aptitude, and willingness to learn, as well as his attention to detail which resulted in his finished jobs being of exemplary quality.

But it was while spending two days a week with Oldham parks department that Nathan discovered his vocation, and began to study for an NVQ in horticulture, with the help of Myerscough College.

He has to catch up on his studies at Blue Coat inbetween his work experience, but he has no hesitation in saying he has the best of both worlds.

His next step is to apply for an apprenticeship with the parks department, and use that to further his academic studies in horticulture.

“I know there will be a lot of hard work involved and a lot of theory, but I want to learn,” said the student.

Mr Sweetlove said: “Nathan has had some brilliant work experience opportunities we managed to get purely by ringing up and asking.

“He has forged links with Oldham parks department that we can take advantage of with other pupils in the future, and the people down there — Sean Madden, Glenn Dale and Paul Martin — have bent over backwards to help us.”

Nathan’s success with the scheme has prompted tutors to widen it to a whole group of pupils next year.

His mentor at school, Carl Jones, said the scheme would be used to help people, like Nathan, with a “real passion” for something.

“Ever since year seven, horticulture was always Nathan’s ‘thing.’ He will leave school at 16 already on a career path for something that he really wants to do,” he said.

Nathan believes he has gained a lot from the initiative. “Most people my age don’t know what they want to do, but I have already decided on a career,” he said.