Search results
-
Enterprising student’s journey to mastering the art of teaching and painting
The partnership between BG Futures, the Careers, Employability and Enterprise department at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and the Prince’s Trust continues to flourish with another of our students benefiting from the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which helps 18 to 30-year olds turn their big ideas into a business reality. Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures spoke to 1st year BA (Hons) Education Studies (SEDS) student Laurent McCready about how the Princes Trust webinar has helped him with his ideas for an Interior and Exterior Painting & Decorating Business. Laurent explains: “My degree choice was as a result of 3 years of voluntary work coaching primary school age children hockey for my Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. I felt the children connected with me and I enjoyed the sessions. Following 2 weeks of work experience at St Peters in Eastgate primary school I decided that I wanted to go into teaching as a career.” Teaching is very different to painting & decorating so what is the connection? “I also really enjoy painting and decorating and feel confident doing it, having started about a year ago. I heard about the Princes Trust webinar via a notification on my BGU account and decided to take part. I have now developed my knowledge of how to set my own business up. The most useful part of the webinar for me was being encouraged to talk about the idea and learning the key aspects such as taxation and national insurance, as well as being able to ask questions. I see my biggest challenge is to actually brave up and start the business. The next step is to do this once I have conducted a little more research about gaining customers and my competitors” Laurent is already succeeding in balancing his University work, position as a Student Ambassador, part time work at the Doubletree by Hilton, and his role with NCS running workshops with older children leading to a community-based project. When asked what the future may hold Laurent said: “Currently my training to become a primary school teacher comes first, however this may differ if I set up my own business and if that happens, I hope to be running Duvalsdecorating (Duval being my middle name) and perhaps a couple others!” To see Laurent’s painting & decorating projects follow duvalsdecorating on Instagram. Contact sarah.moseley@bishopg.ac.uk to discover more about the work of the Enterprise Team at BG Futures Explore BGUs range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching programmes For further details of The Prince’s Trust programme contact John Holliday on 07766 778341 -
Semester, Trimester & Holiday Dates
Semester Dates for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Study -
BGU Armed Forces Support Wins Ministry of Defence Award
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has been awarded a prestigious Silver Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) award from the Ministry of Defence. The ERS Awards recognise employers who have actively demonstrated their support for the Armed Forces community through implementing practical policies in the workplace. Under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, employers support Defence personnel and encourage others to do the same. The Scheme has three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold for organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support for Defence and the Armed Forces community. To achieve Silver, organisations must proactively demonstrate that the Armed Forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruitment policies. They must also actively ensure their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards Defence people issues for veterans, Reserves, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, and spouses and partners of those serving in the Armed Forces. Speaking following the award Katy Nevitt, Armed Forces Lead at BGU, expressed her pride and reiterated the University’s commitment to support members of the Armed Forces: “Two years ago BGU signed up to the Bronze Armed Forces Covenant award, so to receive the Silver Award within such a short space of time is something the University is extremely proud of. We recognise the contribution and sacrifice made by members of the Armed Forces community, and have pledged to support our service personnel, veterans and their families. This award also reflects our commitment and support for colleagues who both work at BGU and serve in the Reserve Forces and Cadet Forces. Employees with an armed forces background at BGU also bring valuable skills and experience to the business of the university, which reinforces our commitment to wider diversity within our student population and workforce.” You can find more information on the avenues into Higher Education and the support available at BGU for members of the Armed Forces on our website. -
Lecturer Helps Develop New Risk Assessment Tool for Animal-Assisted Interventions
Dr Mirena Dimolareva, Lecturer in Psychology at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), together with colleagues and the University of Lincoln and Virginia Commonwealth University, USA has published a risk assessment tool for animal-assisted interventions in any settings. The tool is free to use for staff and practitioners nationally and internationally, in any setting (including education, nursing homes, hospitals) and aims to provide unified, standardised guidelines for animal-assisted therapy as well as animal-assisted interventions and activities. It is a comprehensive tool which takes into consideration the animal and human care and welfare. Speaking following the publication, Dr Dimolareva discussed what drove the research and what users could expect from the new tool: “Animal-Assisted Interventions in various settings have become extremely popular in recent years. Most often, therapy dog visits are organised for hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other educational settings with some scientific research showing beneficial effects. Other animals such as cats and reptiles also provide visits, but the beneficial effects are less known. As a new area of work and research there is lack of clarity around these visits and interventions. Furthermore, thorough risk assessments which consider all involved- the service users, staff, therapy animals and handlers are often overlooked. This free-to-use detailed Risk Assessment Tool was created to provide information on the risk related to Animal-Assisted Interventions as well as a Risk Assessment Template for any setting. The aim is to unify the field and thoroughly consider the safety and well-being of all involved. It is flexible and easy to use, providing the opportunity to incorporate procedures and protocols relevant to the different institutions hosting the animals and handlers.” The publication and attached tool is available for free by clicking here.. If you have a subject you’re passionate about exploring then BGU is perfect place for you to start. Find out about our supportive and collaborative learning environment, by visiting our website, booking onto one of our Open Events or by speaking to our Enquiries Team. -
BGU Master's Students Plan Expansion for Social Care Business
As the world continues to grapple with the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is reassuring to note that despite so much uncertainty and bad news some businesses are not only surviving, but thriving.EarlyBird Lifestyle Support (EBLS), an award winning, friendly well-being service, has found the pandemic presented the opportunity to expand their workforce and move into a larger office space within BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Originally based in a smaller unit within the Centre, EBLS, created and run by BGU students Damian Taylor (MA Health and Social Care Leadership) and Neil Martin (MA Education with TESOL) prides itself on striving to empower the most vulnerable in society to lead the life of their choosing.Damian expands:“We support people throughout the city of Lincoln and surrounding areas with tasks such as cooking, cleaning, collecting prescriptions and medication, food shopping, trips out, escorting individuals to appointments and more.We work with many groups left most vulnerable due to COVID-19, primarily our older clients but also younger individuals suffering from mental health or other disability related problems.Ultimately our team works to promote independence for vulnerable people, allowing them to lead their choice of lifestyle. That choice can be so easily lost at times like this and I’m proud to think we’re helping them to keep some level of freedom.”Damian explains that the success of EBLS is owed to his dedicated team of support professionals:“I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work during this time. Their enthusiasm and professionalism haven’t dropped once. They’re truly the backbone to the business, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Alex Aslan, who has also completed the MA Health and Social Care Leadership, as our new Care and Services Manager who has a wealth of knowledge in this field. This means our service can grow even bigger and reach a larger demographic of people within Lincolnshire and also supports us to now enter the world of running regulated services.”On moving into a bigger office space, Damian hints at EBLS’s next venture: “A larger office will allow us to expand our workforce, provide more support in the community and presents the opportunity to increase revenue and to create stronger connections in the network. The larger space provides practical solutions to social distancing guidance, so we are able to hold inductions and training sessions in a safe environment to ensure our service runs safely.We are almost at the end of the registration period for the Care Quality Commission which means we will be able to include other vital services to our remit. We are currently recruiting for a new apprentice administrator and applications are still open for support worker roles.”Support from EarlyBird is available to anyone in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area, to find out how they can help you can visit their website, or get in contact via email or phone on 01522 424161.Damian added:“The team at the BG Futures Business & Enterprise Centre have been such a vital service & support network for us. They really did go above and beyond to help us in our start-up journey and the most exciting thing is that we have been able to support the centres vision by incorporating our business to widen the support to students. We have supported the BA Health and Social Care with work experience placements and offer voluntary opportunities to all students who would like to get involved, we are also happy to offer mentoring to students seeking an insight into business and would strongly welcome any students of the University to come and get involved in what we do. For example: be it students from drama who would like to put on a show for our vulnerable service users or those in the field of social sciences wanting to further understand mental health, disability or aged care, we really do welcome and encourage collaborative working”Damian and Neil are the one of the many success stories to emerge from the BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University. If joining our community of start-up businesses appeals to you find out more on our website or contact the BG Futures team. -
Online Outreach Events
Throughout the year our Outreach Team will be running a collection of online events to help schools, students and families learn more about life at university. You can use the buttons below to register or request events. The team can offer many of our talks and sessions online through the platform of your choice. Please get in touch or click the links below to find out more: -
Guidance for ECTs (Early Career Teachers) - Beyond ITE (BITE)
We recognise that your early career induction matters – as your professional development continues during this two- year period. This section of BGU’s website has been designed to support early career teachers. It offers guidance, together with useful links to sites and documents. Below are key sections to support your development as a teacher covering: Early Career Teacher Advice and SupportUseful Resources and WebsitesNational Teaching PrioritiesContinued Professional Development and Further Study As stressed in BGU teaching sessions, we are not qualified to support you with legal matters and would strongly advise that you join a Teachers’ Union. BGU is committed to supporting you as you transition to the school workplace; we want to continue to work with you during these formative years. Your school mentor and tutor will provide guidance and support, including coaching and mentoring, for your professional development. However, remember that as early career teachers, BGU is still here to support you with aspects of your teaching activity. For example, advice on behaviour management or subject knowledge and pedagogy. The recently developed Early Career Framework offers a structured programme of development, support, and professional dialogue. This programme provides a set of materials which cover the five core areas of the ECF. These are Behaviour Management, Pedagogy, Curriculum, Assessment and Professional Behaviours. Please email us at beyondite@bishopg.ac.uk. Your communication will be forwarded to the appropriate member of staff. -
Working Together - Protecting Each Other
Protecting Each Other for a Positive Learning Experience -
Dr Alan Malpass
Senior Lecturer – Military History alan.malpass@bishopg.ac.uk Dr Alan Malpass is a historian who specialises in 20th century military history, particularly civilian internment and prisoners of war. Before joining in 2019, Alan taught at Sheffield Hallam University, where he completed his PhD. Alan teaches a range of modules across the History and Military History courses. Inspired to study history by playing a lot of board/computer games, Alan incorporates them into his teaching at every opportunity. He is currently playing games which represent POWs and their experiences. You can find out more about Alan’s research about Italian and German prisoners of war in Lincolnshire here. Related courses: HistoryMilitary HistoryArchaeology & History -
*Primary ITE Documents
https://www.bgu.ac.uk/apply-now/teaching/ite-documents-centre/primary-ite-documents
Explore BGU
Browse our wide range of degree courses and find the perfect one for you.
Open days are the best way to find out what BGU has to offer.
Download your copy of our prospectus to find out more about life at BGU.