Pathways: Junctions Level 2

Entry requirements

No formal requirements, but students will be interviewed to ensure that the course meets your needs. Most students will have a Statement of Educational Needs or an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Students may benefit from having completed Pathways: Junctions Level 1.  

Course Overview

For students in Southampton and the New Forest who are unsure of what to do next and need additional support, our Pathways: Junctions Level 2 covers a range of techniques and concepts. Taught by subject experts at Totton College, our course is designed to build confidence and self-esteem, working towards life skills and the first steps of preparing for adulthood. 

Pathways: Junctions Level 2 is a specialised educational program designed to support students with ASD, ADHD, high anxiety, or low self-esteem. We support you to develop essential communication and life skills, and work with you to give you the knowledge and confidence in a wide range of areas, such as:  

• Digital skills  

• Money and budgeting  

• Healthy living  

• Teamwork  

• Being part of a community 

As part of your course, you will be offered a wide choice of enrichment programmes and encouraged to participate in work experience to build confidence and develop transferable skills for the workplace. If you make good progress, you’re encouraged to move forward onto a mainstream course within the college in a subject of your choice.  

Our course is carefully crafted to empower you; you can achieve improved levels in English and Maths and gain Functional Skills and GCSE levels, dependent on your ability. 

What will I learn?

Our Pathways: Junctions Level 2 course is based on the Nacro Education Get Set! framework, enabling you to gain critical and transferable skills that you need to progress onto your next step.  

Designed to support your learning and development, our course introduces a phased approach through modules designed. Focussing on healthy living and personal hygiene, food safety and cooking, and print and media skills. All of which will give you the transferable and professional skills to help you progress with your future options.  

Work Experience

This is optional dependng on the learner and can be internal or external

Modules

Modules for the Pathways: Junctions Level 2 course will include:  

Healthy living 

Throughout this module, you’ll learn to make informed choices about your health and well-being, fostering a positive and balanced lifestyle. By understanding the benefits of personal fitness, healthy eating and self-care, they build confidence in managing their own health. They develop strategies to maintain a nutritious diet, stay active, and practice good hygiene, promoting overall well-being. As they progress, they become more self-aware and capable of making healthier decisions, empowering them to lead a healthier and more fulfilling life. 

Topics include:  

• Personal fitness and healthy living: understand the importance of fitness, choose activities to stay active, and identify healthy eating principles to create balanced meals. 

• Personal hygiene and grooming: recognise why hygiene and grooming are essential for well-being and personal presentation. 

• Sex education and contraception: learn about contraception methods, different sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and their causes. 

• Taking responsibility for health and lifestyle: make informed choices about health and lifestyle, and create a personal action plan for improvement. 

Basic food preparation and cooking 

Throughout this module, you’ll explore various basic food preparation and cooking methods through multiple practical sessions. Gaining hands-on experience with different techniques improves their confidence in the kitchen. After each session, you will evaluate your own meals, reflecting on their skills, presentation and areas for improvement. You will develop a deeper understanding of cooking methods and enhance your ability to prepare meals independently. 

Topics include:  

• Understand cooking methods: identify and recognise the main methods of cooking and their uses for different types of food. 

• Prepare and cook simple dishes: learn how to prepare, cook, and present basic meals effectively. 

• Maintain clean and safe work practices: follow hygiene standards, clean work areas and equipment, and apply safe working practices for different cooking methods. 

• Evaluate and improve performance: assess personal cooking skills, review performance, and suggest improvements for future cooking tasks. 

Printed media 

Through this module, you will develop essential skills in design, planning, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. Refining your ability to analyse the effectiveness of your media, preparing you for future creative and business projects. You will be able to participate in producing materials for various events at the college. 

Topics include:  

• Understand printed media and its purpose: learn about different types of printed media, such as newspapers, magazines, posters, and advertisements, and explore their specific purposes. 

• Explore tools and techniques: discover various hand, mechanical, and digital printing techniques used in printed media production. 

• Plan and produce a printed media product: research ideas, create design layouts, select appropriate resources, and use different techniques to develop a printed media product while following a design brief. 

• Review and improve work: evaluate the final product based on user feedback, self-assessment, and effectiveness, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. 

Household skills 

Through hands-on tasks, you will develop essential skills in safety, planning, problem-solving, and teamwork. You will build your confidence in responding to emergencies and using cleaning materials effectively, demonstrating your abilities through practical activities for the cleaning and safety module.  

• Laundry skills: You will sort clothes for washing by identifying and understanding laundry symbols, then correctly sorting items into appropriate piles for cleaning. 

• Washing machine operation: You will follow safety guidelines to operate washing machines, select proper cycles, measure detergent accurately, and load it correctly. 

• Ironing techniques: You will practice safe ironing procedures, including selecting the right temperature and safely handling the iron when filling it with water, ensuring effective ironing of various fabrics. 

• Cleaning materials: You will identify and apply suitable cleaning materials for specific tasks, ensuring they understand their proper use and handling. 

• Safe storage of cleaning materials: You will recognise warning symbols on cleaning materials, understand their meanings, and store cleaning supplies safely. 

• Emergency situations: Familiarising with key emergency procedures, including how to locate essential utilities like water stopcocks and fuse boxes, you’ll learn how to handle water, electricity, and gas emergencies, and the proper steps for responding to a gas leak. 

• General emergency procedures: You will learn to identify potential emergency situations and understand the correct process for seeking help when necessary. 

Digital photography 

You will engage in practical activities to develop and demonstrate your skills in digital photography. Through these hands-on tasks, you’ll learn essential skills in digital photography, including technical proficiency, planning, and attention to detail. You will also gain confidence in transferring, saving, and storing their photographic work effectively. 

• Digital camera skills: You will learn how to identify the features of a digital camera, understand different camera settings, and apply them based on various photographic conditions and contexts. 

• Planning a photo shoot: You’ll plan photo shoots by identifying the requirements of a brief, understanding legal constraints, and determining the equipment needed for specific types of photography 

• Taking photographs: You will use digital cameras to take photographs in line with a brief, ensuring image quality, and transferring photos to a storage medium for safekeeping. 

• Saving and storing photographs: You’ll learn how to save photographs in appropriate formats, ensuring their images are correctly stored for future use. 

Discovering local history 

Throughout the year, you will learn how to engage in practical activities to develop and demonstrate your skills in discovering local history. Through these hands-on tasks, you will develop essential skills in research, critical thinking, and presentation, while gaining a deeper appreciation for your local history. 

• Understanding local history: You will explore how national events have shaped your local area, community, or family, focusing on a chosen historical topic. 

• Researching historical information: You’ll identify a range of sources for relevant historical information, assessing their relevance to the chosen topic. 

• Recording and presenting findings: You will learn how to record your findings on local history using an appropriate medium and present your research to a known audience. 

• Impact of history on the community: You will explore how understanding local history can influence and shape the present and future of their community. 

Assessment

At Totton College, we use a variety of assessment methods to ensure you achieve the Pathways: Junctions Level 2 qualification. 

Assessments on the course are conducted exclusively through coursework, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of your progress. Types of assessments include written assignments, presentations, posters, interviews, witness reports, and projects, such as enterprise projects.  

These are designed to measure various skills and competencies, including communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and practical application of knowledge. Additionally, our assessments will enable you to reflect on your learning and identify areas for improvement.  

Enrichment Opportunities

As part of the Nacro Education Get Set! framework, we encourage all students to engage in enrichment activities to support your learning.  

To support your confidence, during work experience week, we encourage you to participate in internal work placements. These are roles within Totton College and cover areas such as:  

• Administration. 

• Manual labour with Estates. 

• Any other internal activities suitable for work experience, including the activities they participate in throughout the year.  

Throughout the year, you will be participating in some activities which will work towards building evidence for this module. Each student will prepare by completing the following:  

• Participating in the Christmas Fair. 

• Participating in Junctions Annual Cake Sale. 

• Participating in End of year Fun Day. 

For each of the above events, you will complete a range of tasks for your portfolio, including planning documents, participating in the events, and leading reviews to identify future improvements for future events.   

Furthermore, as a student on Pathways: Junctions Level 2 at Totton College, you will have opportunities to participate in community projects, social and enterprise activities and various other enrichment projects.  

Career and Progression

After successfully passing this course, you will have core knowledge and confidence to progress to your next step.

On successful completion of this course, you will achieve the Level 1 in Junctions. You will have many options available in terms of what you want to do next, these include further study, an apprenticeship, or entry-level employment. You may also progress to a mainstream course in a subject area that is of interest to you. 

On my course, I’ve gained important employability skills, such as CV and interview techniques, job hunting, and practical work experience. I enjoy volunteering at FareShare, where I get to help others. One of my proudest achievements was starting a Recycling Scheme to encourage people to recycle and reduce waste. My advice to new students is to push yourself and do something new you can enjoy. After completing my course, I hope to find a job I enjoy, Totton College has helped me build the foundation for my future career

Joshua Pascoe

Supported Internship student

Funding and bursaries

Students if you’re aged over 19 you may be eligible for free tuition depending on the course you want to study, your existing qualifications and your financial circumstances. For more information email info@totton.ac.uk or call 023 8087 4874.

Advanced Learner Loans are available for students who are aged 19 or over. Repayments do not begin until the course is completed and you are earning £25,000 or over. Eligible learners will be enrolling on a level 3 or above course and are a UK or EU national. For further information, visit gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan.

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