ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) is a course which enables pupils to develop and gain accreditation for Key Skills. Pupils also gain recognition for personal achivements. This qualification is highly valued by employers and institutes offurther education.

At all levels pupils develop their skills through a series of challenges taken from some of the following modules: Information Handling, The Community, Sport and Leisure, Home Management, The Environment, Number Handling, Health and Survival, World of Work, Technology, Wider World, Expressive Arts and Beliefs and Values.

The course is to be offered at two levels at Key Stage 4:

a) Level 1 GCSE - E

b) Level 2 GCSE - B

Assessment is based on 100% portfolio work. Pupils collect evidence in their file and award book that shows they have succesfully completed the required amount of challenges. Pupils can use evidence from other subject areas to help them complete challenges.

This course would benefit all pupils, however, it is particularly suited to those pupils wishing to follow a practical activity based course that will help improve their wider key skills of working with others, improving their own performance and problem solving.

At KS5 it is offered at Level 3.

To complete the qualification the student must show evidence of skill development in six chosen areas. This involves three main strands:

* Taking responsibility for planning, organising and carrying out a number of activities or challenges, and evidence this work in their portfolio.

* Developing and evidencing the three wider key skills of working with others, improving own learning and performance and problem solving.

* Developing and evidencing three other skills, based on the communication key skill of planning and carrying out a piece of research, communicating through discussion and planning and giving an oral presentation.

Work is undertaken and evidenced in a portfolio. The course duration is two years and 100 % portfolio work. The file will be externally moderated by ASDAN.

A succesful file will achieve a level 3 CoPE qualification which is accredited 70 UCAS points.