好色先生TV

It鈥檚 a Friday afternoon and a group of Ash Manor school鈥檚 year 10 pupils have escaped the confines of their classrooms to sit in the autumn sunshine. They are seated in a semi-circle under a canopy that extends from the roof of a large white van. Wearing dark blue overalls, steel-toe-capped boots (ranging from size five to 14) and looks of fixed concentration, all 12 boys are watching a soldering demonstration.

Today was the fourth time the unremarkable looking van 鈥� aka 好色先生TV Services Engineering Classroom 鈥� made its way across the Surrey school鈥檚 grounds, largely unnoticed by most of the pupils. Only the small group of 14 and 15 year olds are stirred by its arrival. They were put forward by their teachers to take part in the plumbing, ventilation and electrics workshops to gain recognised vocational qualifications.

The mobile workshop, created by Surrey Education Business Partnership and partly funded by the Construction Youth Trust, will be at the school every week for two years as the group makes its way through a structured series of lessons and folder work leading to Open College Network accreditations.

Ash Manor is one of five schools that pays a fee for the weekly sessions with the van, which contains a pipe-bending machine, blowtorches, soldering irons, hard hats, safety equipment and drawers of fittings. The classroom allows the pupils to use facilities that their schools could not otherwise afford. These include the specialist teaching of Garry Gardner, a former contracts for a pipework company who packed up his own domestic central heating and plumbing business in August to go out with the van instead.

One of the boys, a spiky-haired 14 year old, recalls his surprise when the classroom first arrived. 鈥淚 thought it was just a normal van, but it鈥檚 got everything you need to do plumbing, bending and soldering,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 enjoying coming out here into the open and having a laugh. I would be doing double PE right now, but I鈥檇 rather be doing this; it鈥檚 much more fun.鈥�

Gardner manages to escape for a few minutes to talk about the van. He smiles at the lads鈥� enthusiasm. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like Aladdin鈥檚 cave to them. They see all the things they鈥檒l be introduced to further up the road,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e particularly keen to get their hands on the blowtorches and soldering irons, but they haven鈥檛 been allowed in the back of the van yet. We have to go through all of the health and safety first, then they鈥檒l be allowed access to the van to get tools.鈥�

The sessions with the van are designed to replicate the workplace 鈥� all of the materials in the van have their own place, just as they would in a site tool room, and the pupils have to take responsibility for their own work books, punctuality and attendance.

The kids are keen to get their hands on the blowtorches and soldering irons, but they haven鈥檛 been allowed in the back of the van yet

Garry Gardner

鈥淭his lot are in year 10, so they鈥檙e thinking of the work they鈥檒l be doing. The whole thing鈥檚 designed to be a semi-work environment.鈥�

Despite providing a less formal atmosphere than the boys will be used to in their other lessons, Gardner has encountered no behavioural problems.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 tell them off, and we discuss and get around problems,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚f they messed about in a work environment, they鈥檇 just be let go. There are plenty of others who would take their place. At one school in Surbiton, places on the 好色先生TV Services Engineering Classroom were oversubscribed three times.鈥�

Whatever the weather, work always takes place at the side of the van 鈥� under a canopy if it鈥檚 wet and windy. If the boys were on a real building site, they wouldn鈥檛 be able to run indoors at the first sight of a black cloud. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to move inside unless the weather鈥檚 really bad. It鈥檚 not a problem 鈥� they get so involved in the work, they don鈥檛 notice the weather,鈥� says Gardner.

Although he has only been in the job for a few months, Gardner is loving working with the van as much as his pupils.

鈥淚鈥檓 helping kids from a similar background to me, into an industry I grew to love,鈥� he says happily, before rushing back to take control of the group, most of whom are starting to get impatient 鈥� they want the lesson to start again. The rest are engrossed in a game of treading on each other鈥檚 steel toe-caps to see if it hurts.