NCS Summer advice and questions

[redkindof]

Im interested in signing dd up for ncs summer yet still waiting on information from my local organization. Just worried about who will attend, do people get left out or judged and is it safe
Also if any has experience advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm unsure as such even when the event will run July/august as I think after gcse my dd will deserve a holiday.

Can't say I know much about it but the site makes it sound worthwhile and couldn't dd join you on holiday at a later date if she wished or wouldn't ncs be her own holiday

There are several start dates throughout the summer holidays. My DD is going on one in the middle of August, her friend's starts at the end of July, and there are lots of other start dates. There would be plenty of time to have a separate holiday either beforehand, or afterwards.

All the feedback I have heard from people who have done it/whose children have done has been overwhelmingly positive.

DDs both told me that there was a huge mix of people when they took part- didn't get on with everyone, but part of the challenge was learning to cope with that.

It is well staffed as a scheme and from my girls' experiences I'd say it's very safe. If your DD is worried, could you encourage her to sign up with a friend, perhaps?

Honestly can't recommend it enough!

My DS did NCS last year (reluctantly) and had a great time. It was well resourced, good leaders etc.

I thought this looked a good idea for DS2 who is 16. Something worthwhile to fill the long gap between school and sixth form.

Sent off for the bumf and just by coincidence they came to do a talk at his school. The organisation running it locally do a lot of stuff for troublesome and under privileged youngsters and are based in a deprived area of a nearby town.
He says it didn't go down very well and no one signed up for it. He cannot see any attraction in going off on residential trips with a bunch of strangers.

Dd is doing Ncs this summer. Her start date is 14th July but there are alternative starts two weeks either side. She's very happy with her dates though because it's after prom and before results day.

Yourlittle my DS said the same. Apparently 'nobody ' is doing it. I would really like him to do it and probably if he could get over himself ( he thinks only nerdy people do stuff like that ) he would enjoy it. I signed him up anyway and will work on him. He refused to sign up for DOE but when it was too late he sort of regretted it so I thought I would take charge !

I massively recommend NCS - I work as a team leader for them and the amount that the young people get out of the program is incredible. The organisation that I work for is future creative (www.future-creative.org/ncs/) and is really well run, tailored to individual needs etc. The program was new last year so not hugely publicised, but getting more wide-spread and popular :)

It runs in Feb, Easter, Summer and October half term - as above posters have mentioned, there are many different start dates.

Please feel free to message me for any more info :) NCS is also especially good for young people with special needs/social difficulties/behavioural problems/mental health problems. As mentioned above, a diverse range of young people take part but that is part of the whole experience.

Claybury Bizarrely DS would consider himself nerdy and thinks it's not for him. Also he thinks he would be surrounded by youngsters with behavioural problems and he doesn't want to go on a residential trip with them.
I am not going to force him.

My ds is in Y10 so it would be next year he would go. I saw it last year and thought it looked good. It's interesting to read comments about the impression being that it's aimed at children with behavioural problems.

My DD's group was of about 12, I think. If I remember correctly, one boy had behavioural problems and two girls had learning difficulties. Some were sporty, some were 'nerdy', some were the 'cool' kids. A proper mix, just like you would find in a school and just like you would expect.

It was the same when she did it the next year and the same for my younger DD when she did it!

Exactly as mentioned above - the YP are a complete range of characters and that truly is part of the experience: learning to get along with all sorts of people that you might not normally come across. It is by no means specifically for children with behavioural problems, but it is accessible for them and can be hugely beneficial for them. The groups that I lead always have a range from high achievers with great behaviour, all the way through to learning disability or disruptive behaviour. Seeing all of these people work together is a great experience and each one of them becomes a more rounded person because of it.

That's what I tried to say but you articulated it much better!

And I'm not sure that NCS makes it as clear as they could that teenagers with special needs or physical disabilities may get a 1:1 support worker throughout the whole thing - a support worker the family meets beforehand. I know this because DS1 is applying to be one of these support workers, as he is a student but has significant relevant experience to do this job.