Insitutute of Groundmanship - Ashton on Mersey
The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) launched a new initiative in 2007 to broaden its training programme to students aged 14 – 16 with the aim of encouraging young people to take up grounds maintenance as a career.
The IOG eventually intends to design a Foundation level certificate for students in this age group.
Ashton on Mersey Specialist Sports College was the location for the first IOG pilot project to offer such training. The course, which ran during the summer of 2007, was commended by OFSTED which said “...the programme is innovative and is in line with wider participation, which is a government target”.
The students’ enthusiasm for the programme can be seen in the following results:
• 100% pass rate in all practical assessments
• 100% attendance was achieved by 100% of the students throughout the programme.
• Punctuality was the best the department head teacher has seen all year.
• The programme will run again in 2008 with considerably more students than in 2007
The Course
22 students from Years 10 and 11 (age 14 – 16) took part in the course which ran from 8 May to 17 July 2007 and offered the students the chance to be trained in the elements of sports turf management covered in the IOG’s National Practical Certificate.
The theory tests were run on-line through IOGMOODLE, the new innovative Virtual Learning Environment [VLE]. This VLE marks the exam papers instantaneously allowing for immediate feedback of results to students
The students took part in the following sessions:
Session 1 – School
Introduction to the National Practical Certificate
Performance Quality Standards
Soil testing (pH kits)
Training (Turf establishment using turfs and seed)
Session 2 – Middleton Cricket Club
Training - Maintaining, starting and stopping a small engine
- Mowing Amenity Turf
Session 3 - School
Training - Preparing a soil area for seeding
- Renovation
Session 4 – Manchester United Training Ground
Training - Mowing Amenity Turf
- Renovation
Session 5 – School
Assessments - Turf establishment using turfs and seed
- Renovation
Session 6 – Middleton Cricket Club
Assessments - Maintaining, starting and stopping a small engine
- Mowing Amenity Turf
Session 7 – School
Training/Assessment - Setting out sports equipment
A presentation day took place on the 6th February 2008 at the school. The students were awarded a certificate of achievement by Joe Pemberton, Head groundsman at Manchester United Football Club and Ian Mather-Brewster Trainer, the IOG instructor.
