Generally we cater for young people 14 – 24 years of age that are at high risk of becoming excluded from school or becoming unemployed or involved in criminal activity.
If you are involved in a community group that supports young people who are from a socially deprived background or are low achievers, unemployed or truanting from compulsory education then yes you are.
Many of our students are referred through our partnership organisations which include, Constabulary, Probation, Social Services the Prison Service, Schools, Pupil Referral Units, Youth Inclusion Programmes, Learning Partnership West, CYPS and many Third Sector organisations based in and around Bristol.
Contact The Wheels Project directly through our website contact page, telephone or email and we’ll talk you through the process.
There are different courses designed to suit different ages and abilities. The work is mainly based around motor vehicle and road safety studies. Learners are required to get involved with practical work. Each programme contains common elements: Under the Bonnet, Behind the Wheel and In the Mind.
This depends on the course but generally they run through the school terms and normally throughout the school day for 2.5 hours – one full day, per week for 6 weeks. Exceptions can be made with prior arrangement in some circumstances.
Our courses have been catergorised in to Bronze, Silver and Gold, these represent a progression in technical skills and commitment for karting, mopeds, pre-driver training and community vehicle. Our popular karting programme is great to engage students and give them the confidence to progress onto programmes requiring more technical skills and application. Our CBT for new moped riders and Pre-Driver Training Programme prepare our students with the skills and attitude for safe, legal driving.
Our Community Vehicle Programme gives students a chance to choose a community group to support through the renovation and gifting of a vehicle. This is a great programme to use towards the skills/community element of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. If you are a not for profit organisation then you can apply to us for a second-hand vehicle of your choice. Go to:
www.wheelsproject.org.uk/getinvolved/doesyourgroupneedavehicle
Our pre-driver training for mopeds give learners all the tools to ready them to take their CBT; we also prepare learners to sit their Driver Theory Test, (The Wheels Project pays for the test for groups attending paid for courses), the test is carried out at a separate learning establishment. Our Community Vehicle programme can also be used toward the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
As a registered charity The Wheels Project secures regular funding to support our courses and estimate that we can provide 80% of the costs per course, this leaves you to provide the remaining 20%. Other options are sometimes available and we would be happy to hear from anyone who wishes to discuss participating in a course but is uncertain about their ability to fund even 20% of the costs.
Our courses are progressive and are aimed to engage, educate and raise aspirations. So learners can begin with a kick start bronze course and move up to a pre-driver training course. These courses should be regarded as add-ons to basic skills training in Maths and English delivered formally elsewhere. Over 75% of the learners that complete our Gold standard (Community Vehicle) courses have gone on to gain a college place and raise their employment prospects.
Our groups are made up of a maximum of 8 students and only one group attends our project at any one time; if you have two groups of students that you are working with we recommend you asses their needs and make up each group to gain the best outcomes. You can have as many groups as you like in one week attending the project, subject to our capacity to deliver. Each group attends for a maximum of one day per week every term time.
We have course intakes seven times a year, one at the start of every school term and one in the summer holidays. They run throughout the school day however sometimes we can offer courses early evening. We also run programmes during 3 weeks of the summer holidays in August.
Ideally you should organize and provide transport to and from the project. Our experience shows that the students respond positively to this support and their attendance suffers if they have to make their own way to us (even if you provide them with a bus pass).
Yes we do. David Glossop is our safeguarding officer and we take this part of the project very seriously with regular training to update these policies.
As a charity we are rigorously checked in all areas and insurance is just one. The Wheels Project is insured for many parts of the project including, Employers & Public Liability, Director’s & Officers, Engineering, Combined Ancillary and professional Negligence along with several more. Digital copies of these policies can be provided upon request.
We take H&S very seriously, we are registered with Citation PLC an H&S specialist which inspects our policies, procedures and premises annually. Citation has approved our system and has rated us Outstanding in this area. All of the courses that we run begin with a session on H&S, all of the learners need to show understanding of this area before they can begin the work in the workshops. We provide staff to student ratios of 1:4 minimum to assist with our strict guidelines. Digital copies of our policies can be made available upon request.
Risk Assessments have been carried out for all Wheels Project activities. These RA’s are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up to date. Digital copies of these policies can be made available upon request.
The Wheels Project has previously held a PQASSO quality mark Level 2 from 2012 – 2015. The Wheels Project is a Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council Approved Alternative Learning Provider.
We have drawn up a Theory of Change model which shows the order of programme deliveries which based on our evidence have been most effective in achieving key outcomes, such as, engagement, improved attendance, behaviours and progression in to further training or employment. The model is shown in our three year business plan, 2015 – 2018, and also in our audited accounts for year ending 31st March 2015.
If you are considering donating some money to The Wheels Project then please email us and let us know and we will contact you to discuss your intentions
david@wheelsproject.org.uk
Contact our General Manager David Glossop and if he can’t help we have a link on our website to ‘Give a Car’.
david@wheelsproject.org.uk
As a charity we often work with volunteers either in our workshop or as one of our trustees. All volunteers are subject to a DBS check and roles will vary depending on the individual and their existing skills and training.
If you are considering becoming a trustee then in the first instance contact David Glossop at TWP where he will organise a meeting to discuss what you do, what we do and to assess your needs and skill set that you would bring to the project. You will need to provide a CV and complete a DBS check which The Wheels Project will pay for. We will provide you with a copy of the Trustees job specification which illustrates the duties and level of commitment you will need to make. If both parties are happy to proceed from this stage then you will be invited to meet the other trustees at the next available board meeting where the trustees will decide whether or not to accept your application.
david@wheelsproject.org.uk
The Wheels project started in 1979 and is a registered charity and a limited company by Guarantee.
YES! Over 90% of Key Workers from referring organisations reported significant improvement in behaviour, communication, problem solving, working with others and interest in learning. Increasingly referrers report that students are reaching higher levels of attainment at their schools or academies, leading to over 75% of students progressing to college over the last three years having completed a CVP.
AND
Our Community Vehicle Projects are beneficial in other ways, the learners who attend The Wheels Project are then involved in the handover of the vehicle to another charitable organization, previously these have included, RSPCA, Foodbank, BaNES Air Cadets, Farms For City Children and The Meriton Young Mothers Unit, Youth Moves and Community Service Volunteers. – These vehicles enable the other charities to reach people in the community making a real difference.