FOR Kenny Collins, changing perceptions is just part of another day at the office.

As a senior member of staff at The Good Shepherd Centre, it often feels like he spends most of his time trying to convince people to think of the Bishopton-based school in a different way.

Many residents in Renfrewshire won’t have heard of this vital service and, for those who have, it may be associated with unruly youngsters who have been kicked out of class at a mainstream school.

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Kenny, however, is on a mission to burst these myths and set the record straight.

“You quite often see people coming into the school and realising the young people are not what they were expecting them to be,” he told The Gazette.

“One thing many people don’t know is that we are actually inspected by the same body which manages all schools across Scotland, meaning we have to meet the same standards expected as mainstream schools.

“For many of the children here, the biggest barrier to learning is confidence.

“School has failed them but we build confidence through our small school groups and great teacher interaction.

“I recently delivered a talk at a university and discovered that it wasn’t mentioned as an option for student teachers to consider non-mainstream schools.

“But I had some really positive discussions after it with the course leaders and they are now looking to introduce this going forward.”

Kenny is using his voice to tackle stigma across Renfrewshire and beyond.
And he isn’t the only one.

The Gazette: Various activities took place to mark World Radio DayVarious activities took place to mark World Radio Day

Last month, youngsters at the Bishopton school took part in World Radio Day as they joined thousands of people across the world for a celebration of the wireless.

“Every year we compile a list of events we believe will be engaging and become an interesting experience for our kids,” Kenny explained. “World Radio Day seemed like the sort of thing which would tick all those boxes, even though, despite my wife working in radio, I had never heard of it before.

“The day was a chance for the pupils to learn all about radio as a medium and experience the science behind it.

“It is absolutely paramount that we give our pupils unique and interesting things to learn that are not just from a worksheet.

“If you can do that well and do it right, it doesn’t feel like work or a task and is enjoyable for everyone.

“We hope this can be one of a series of myth-busting events that shatter people’s expectations of what our school does.

“It was a really ambitious and successful day, given that it was the first of its kind.

“It was well received by young people.

“The contribution from staff was fantastic and the feedback we have received from the young people has been really positive and will help us shape and improve it for next year.”

Staff and the pupils were treated to a host of fun during the day as they lent their voice to Morse Code classes, podcast workshops and creative music making.

The Gazette: Media teacher Hazel King was all ears as she helped the kids create podcasts Media teacher Hazel King was all ears as she helped the kids create podcasts

But they all agreed the star of the show was Clyde 1 presenter Cassi Gillespie.

She fills the eardrums of thousands of listeners every weekday morning on Bowie @ Breakfast and, for the Bishopton kids, her visit was the chance to see they could also carve out a career in radio.

Kenny said: “We managed to get the professional presenter to come along and do a talk with the pupils and then answer their questions.

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“She was really engaging and this was someone with bags of confidence.

“This was a great experience for our kids, as they were able to talk to her and understand that, one day, it could be them in a similar sort of capacity.

“It is a great way to build foundations for our pupils and a great way to showcase the work that takes place within our school.

“It was amazing because Cassi then mentioned her visit the next day on her morning show with George Bowie and the pair have now promised to come to our summer music festival.

The Gazette: Clyde 1 DJ Cassi enjoyed her visitClyde 1 DJ Cassi enjoyed her visit

“The DJ session was really popular with so many of the kids. It’s not my scene at all but that is definitely the thing about music – everyone loves it and can connect with it in so many different ways.”

One youngster from The Good Shepherd Centre, who cannot be identified, told The Gazette: “As a young person at The Good Shepherd Centre, I thought World Radio Day was an interesting experience for everybody involved.

“It was a good day and we hope to have another like it in the future.”

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