Alford Academy was keen to work with a leading rurally-based Aberdeenshire employer to encourage and inspire pupils.
The school’s vision is “working together to nurture, inspire and achieve”. They were clear they needed a like-minded successful and ambitious business, that young people could relate to and be inspired by, no matter what their interests.
And so, with the help of Developing the Young Workforce North East (DYWNE), they approached Mackie’s of Scotland.
The appeal of Mackie’s was their “local rural roots”, their success in the food and drink sector, agriculture and renewables, as well as their creativity and diversity as a business and their mission to care for the environment.
Initial research showed the potential for bringing learning to life and life to learning through a partnership with Mackie’s was an exciting prospect with opportunities for all faculties.
Initial impressions
From the outset, it was clear that the company and school shared similar outlooks on how the partnership should work.
Alford Academy was enthused by the forward-thinking approach Mackie’s took to their own business and to working with the community.
The food & drink industry is a key growth industry in the North-east, and the school was keen to promote the range of careers in the sector. However, they also recognised that a partnership with Mackie’s could support and promote generic employability skills and the “pipeline” of talent to a range of industries.
Meanwhile, Mackie’s was hugely impressed by the reaction from pupils and staff they met.
They liked the idea of a formal relationship with one school, rather than the previous vast number of schools.
For Mackie’s it was important to highlight to pupils the career opportunities that exist within their company and the wider food and drink industry. It was also an ideal opportunity for Mackie’s staff to be involved in something outside their usual day job, with part of the mission statement of the company making reference to staff “having fun”.
Activities
It was clear that all the teaching staff needed a knowledge of the Mackie’s business to inform curriculum planning as well as conversations with pupils about employment and careers.
After a professional learning introduction and tour, teachers were buzzing with ideas and over lunch with Mackie’s staff, discussed how they could deliver a coherent experience for pupils related to the workplace and Mackie’s business and vision.
And so the partnership moved into action.
Projects ranged across a variety of subjects that included:
- music and drama: pupils reproduced the “music” of plant machinery, together with a dramatisation of plant machinery, using themselves as components of the Mackie’s systems
- art & design, food technology, craft and design: pupils planned, designed and created an ice cream tub and developed a new flavour of ice cream, with the winning flavours produced on a microscale by Mackie’s
- business and admin: a logo and label were created for the ice cream container
- PE, science, maths, humanities: learning about the science of ice cream and health, renewable energy, mathematical designs of the tubs, advertising and marketing worldwide.
A number of other initiatives really engaged the pupils.
Third year pupils learned about market research, product development, and branding through a Mackie’s case study. Classes used real life information, such as Mackie’s market research data, automation and robotics in the parlour, and their “zero waste water” commitment to the environment.
Individual members of staff also took part. Mackie’s commercial director Stuart Common joined S6 pupils to talk about future choices, his career pathway, work experience and gaining skills through volunteering.
Success
Alford Academy’s partnership with Mackie’s of Scotland has been a catalyst for significant changes to the school’s curriculum and teaching and learning.
The business and its staff have inspired teaching staff. Courses and learning and teaching have an increased focus on skills for work and employability. Teachers are increasingly sharing with pupils the career pathways specific subjects can lead to.
Meanwhile, pupils have a clearer understanding of why skills are taught and where in the world of work these skills would be used. This has improved the relevance of learning and the engagement of pupils.
“The visit inspired me to redevelop my courses and use Mackie’s as a context through S3–S6. I refer to Mackie’s when teaching about quality measures, production methods, environmental impact and product diversification, after having seen and heard about it first-hand. The pupils have loved it and remember it!” - Principal Teacher of Business Education and Computing, Alford Academy
There are so many strands of this partnership which have impacted on young people, including on their literacy, numeracy and health and well-being.
One of the programmes had lessons on making ice cream, measuring fat content in science, working out how much exercise it takes to burn it off in maths and taking part in an activity for a given period of time to do this in PE.
The school has seen a significant increase from 8 to 38 pupils opting for a vocational pathway through college.
The dialogue between teachers and pupils regarding employability, the continuing work with DYW and Mackie’s and information evenings with parents has had a positive influence on pupils’ decision-making for the future.
A S3 pupil on work experience placement with Mackie’s shared how enjoyable and interesting her week had been. She said: “I developed my IT skills, acquired a knowledge of how production processes in the food industry works and how to analyse competitors in the chocolate and ice cream market.”
She is now considering a career in food technologies.
Shared vision
Alford Academy is a rural school, and the partnership’s greatest challenge has been the capacity of both the school and business to support the partnership.
But the professional learning and curriculum development, supported by Mackie’s, has well and truly brought this partnership to life.
Pupils relate to this well-known local business, increasing relevance and awareness of the range of opportunities and pathways into the food and drink sector.
Mackie’s creativity and commitment to be the greenest company in Britain has inspired pupils and staff and has opened doors to conversations about the range of careers associated with this.
A strong shared vision has been established for this partnership with a clear focus on enabling young people with the right information, at the right time, to help them make career choices as well as promoting the varied opportunities on our doorstep.
- Mackie’s of Scotland is a family-run business with 78 staff and a 330 strong cow-herd at its 1,600 acre farm at Westertown, Rothienorman.
- Alford Academy is a six-year non-denominational secondary school located in the new Alford Community Campus, 25 miles west of Aberdeen. The school serves a 600 square mile rural catchment area and currently has 655 young people with diverse interests and abilities.
