Young learners making a difference in residential care

Overview

Anchor’s Ferendune Court Residential Home provides residential and dementia care for up to 48 older people. In 2020, Swindon New College asked Ferendune to host T Level industry placements and mentor the students.

Students gradually take on responsibilities, from observing care delivery to assisting with personal care and social activities. Each placement is tailored to the student’s confidence and experience, helping them build meaningful relationships with residents and grow into valued team members.

The industry placements benefit both the students and the home. Students apply their classroom knowledge in real-world settings, gaining insight into the challenges older people face, such as mobility issues and isolation. Their presence brings energy and companionship to residents, improving emotional wellbeing and creating a more vibrant care environment. Some students have transitioned into paid roles, demonstrating the long-term value of the programme for workforce development in the care sector.

Key benefits and outcomes

• T Level students bring classroom-based clinical knowledge and quickly become valuable team members, supporting staff with personal care, mobility, and social interaction tasks - effectively boosting the home’s care-giving capacity.
• The presence of young learners increases social interaction and personalised attention for residents, significantly improving their emotional wellbeing and happiness.
• The placements foster a vibrant, intergenerational environment that promotes mutual respect and understanding, enriching the workplace culture and community spirit.
• The programme serves as a recruitment pathway—students gain real-world experience and confidence, with some transitioning into paid roles, helping address workforce shortages in the care sector.
• Mentoring students gives staff a sense of purpose and pride, enhancing their own professional development and reinforcing a culture of learning and support.

What the organisation did

T Level industry placements at Ferendune Court give students practical experience in applying classroom learning to real-world care. Staff foster an inclusive environment, welcoming students as valued team members. Each placement is tailored to the student’s confidence and experience level, allowing them to engage at their own pace - from observing care delivery to gradually taking on tasks like serving meals and supporting social activities.

As students gain confidence, they begin assisting with personal care and mobility, becoming active contributors to residents’ wellbeing. This structured approach ensures students develop essential care-giving skills while building meaningful relationships. The result is a supportive learning experience that benefits both students and the wider care team.

They become valuable members of the workforce, offering one-to-one social and pastoral support to residents, assisting with personal care, helping residents dress and undress, and aiding mobility, such as getting into or out of bed, bathing, sitting in a chair, standing and walking with aids.

Each student has an experienced staff member as a supervisor and mentor. This is a crucial role, providing guidance and encouragement to students as they navigate their roles. The mentoring relationship builds the student’s confidence and makes sure the learning experience is positive and helps them become valuable team members, who actively contribute to the wellbeing of the residents.

Results and benefits

T Level industry placements benefit Ferendune Court by bringing in students with foundational clinical knowledge and an understanding of person-centred care. This allows them to support staff with tasks related to infection control, mobility, nutrition, and personal care, quickly becoming valued contributors to the team.

Staff are particularly passionate about fostering intergenerational understanding. Students not only enrich the lives of residents through meaningful interactions but also gain insight into the challenges older people face, such as isolation, chronic illness, and mobility issues. These placements also serve as a pathway into the sector - one student has already transitioned into a paid care assistant role following their placement.

Takeaway tips

• Residents enjoy the increased social interaction and personalised attention the students can give them, and they have formed meaningful connections with the students. This has significantly improved their emotional wellbeing and happiness.
• While the residents enjoy interacting with the young T Level students, it helps the students to understand the needs of older adults and makes them more confident in interacting with a different generation.
• It helps to offer a range of activities that allow T Level students to participate in care according to their comfort level, while supporting them to take on more responsibilities as their confidence and skill grows.

For more information about this case study, email Samantha Bell, home manager at Ferendune Court Residential Home.