Students who do not take the traditional route of education will be able to be involved in a new educational scheme the Hamilton Lions Club heard on Tuesday. The new scheme is called the Alliance for Qualification Association (AQA).

The aim of the new programme is to ensure that young people leave Secondary School with a qualification.

The qualification will specify exactly what the student can do, so that employers know first hand.

The AQA will be combined with a work experience placement.

Phyllis Harshaw, special education teacher at CedarBridge Academy said: “Each student will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to ensure that they get the most out of the new system.

“It has been designed for children with or without learning disabilities in mind.” 66 students are currently on the programme and it is proving a success.

Ms Harshaw said: “Some children with very severe disabilities are classed as Level 1 and need learning support.

These young people might not be academically able, but they might grasp the concept of mechanics, carpentry, home economics, computers, electronics etc.”

All children when finishing the course will have a dossier with a certificate, a resume, letters of recommendation from work placements and samples of work.

“Many parents are also happy that their children will not leave school with out any qualifications,” said Ms Harshaw.

Ms Harshaw said: What we like about the programme is that we also offer basic skills in Maths and English and if individuals would like to go on to college we can guide them in the right direction.

We are still short staffed at the moment and we hope this problem is sorted in September.

We have two teachers who are teaching Braille at the moment and we have two sight impaired students.

The exams are affiliated with City and Guilds qualifications in the UK.

You can find out more about the AQA by visiting www.aqa.uk.org.