About Us
Mirren Park is a registered independent school located in the heart of Ferguslie Park, Paisley
Our history
In August 2004, a small independent school was set up in Johnstone, Renfrewshire called Johnstone Technical Education Centre (JTEC), part of an organisation known as MPS Training Limited. The original premise of the school was to act as a training wing for a local construction company MPS Construction Limited, enrolling young people coming towards the end of their compulsory education and offering them additional support and pre-vocational learning opportunities working towards gaining an apprenticeship within the construction industry. The model provided the young people core skills, personal development, health and wellbeing and pre-vocational learning opportunities such as woodwork, constructions skills and glazing.
Within a few years the curriculum and school building grew substantially whereby young people were attending JTEC on a full-time basis as an alternative to their 3rd and 4th years of secondary education. In 2006, two new schools were opened in Clydebank (CTEC) and Greenock (GTEC) offering similar day education placements for young people in those local authority and surrounding areas. The three schools were combined in 2011 and based at the Clydebank site.
In June 2014, the school changed ownership and appointed a new board of directors. The decision was then made to relocate the school in Paisley, Renfrewshire with a new name and new developmental focus – Mirren Park School was born! The school has forged close partnership links with organisations such as Colleges, local authority education, employability and social work provisions and local businesses and children’s services organisations.
In September 2018 Mirren Park School was bought by Young Foundations Limited.
Our vision, ethos, and values
At Mirren Park School we have one simple vision:
To enable everyone to realise their potential and be the best that they can be.
Our values guide the way we work:
Challenge
We ask questions about everything that is happening around us. We look at our role within the world and ask ourselves if we are doing the best that we can. We ask others to support us in realising our goals. We put our trust in others and ask that they put their trust in us.
Choice
We look at how our life could be improved and focus on realistic targets we can achieve. We listen and look for experiences and opportunities that open up for us and embrace these whenever we can. We plan our lives in an organised way and always give ourselves the best chance to attain and achieve positive outcomes.
Change
We become responsible citizens by taking control of our lives and choosing the best pathways for us. We become effective contributors by being able to offer our skills and support to others. We become successful learners by completing a range of qualifications and securing further training or education placements and taking an interest in the world around us. We become confident individuals as we are now leaders of our own lives and a positive influence on others.
Our referral process
Professionals interested in obtaining a place in Mirren Park School for an appropriate young person should:
Speak in the first instance to the Education Administration Office as to the availability of places, telephone 0141 404 2784 and request more information or a referral form.
At the Invitation of the Head of Education, the young person and associated professional staff should make a preliminary visit to discuss the value / expectations of the proposed placement.
Notification will be given to the professional as to whether a provisional place has been allocated together with a suggested start date, so that the requisite arrangements can be put in place. No placement can be approved until explicit approval is given in writing by the relevant local authority link officer in charge of allocating such placements – acceptance of an Individual Placement Proposal will be required.
Placement monitoring and review
Integral to the success of a Mirren Park School placement is an ongoing process of multi-agency planning meetings. These allow the success and limitations of each phase of the placement to be considered and built on, to ensure the optimum opportunity for each young person to make the most of his/her experience.
A Post Placement Meeting takes place after six weeks, at which point an Assessment of Needs Report will be presented detailing the appropriateness of the placement and confirming that the young person’s additional support needs are being adequately met. The next phase of his/her Individual Educational Plan (IEP) can then be determined, so that everyone involved knows what targets are to be attained, and what their role is in this process.
Education Reviews take place on a six-monthly basis, or before if needed, to monitor the effectiveness of the IEP in attaining its targets, and allowing the next phase of the young person’s experience to be planned and organised.
A Transition Planning Review takes place on completion of the placement, at which the effectiveness of the IEP in meeting its targets, goals and aim is established. Based on the success of the placement, the young person’s transition to school, college and the world of work can be formalised and the requisite support put in place to provide the optimal opportunity for this experience to be successful. Close liaison with agencies such as Skills Development Scotland, West College Scotland, Developing the Young Workforce as well as local authority post-16 skills / training opportunity coordinators will be ensured in the lead up to this point.
