Ashington Extended Services Partnership

 

PETER MORRELL Former Assistant Headteacher at Ashington High School Sports College, now Extended Services Manager.
CHRISTINE ROWLAND Assistant Headteacher at Ashington High School Sports College and Coordinator for the Extended Services Partnership

 

The Ashington Extended Services Partnership is implementing the government’s Every Child Matters Agenda to secure the best possible opportunities for children in our community. We want our children to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.

To ensure this we offer good quality childcare 8am-6pm in our First Schools, either on site or through local providers, a varied menu of extra-curricular activities and study support opportunities, support for parents at key stages in their child’s education and family learning sessions. We identify, early, issues that might affect a child’s progress and access specialist support services. Wider community use of our schools, with opportunities for adult and family learning, supports and promotes our belief that learning is a life-long process.

In providing these services all schools in the Ashington Partnership are at what the government describes as ‘Full Core Offer Status’. As this is not compulsory until 2010 we are proud of this achievement which demonstrates a genuine commitment to schools working in partnership with one another and with other agencies such as the FACT team and the Voluntary Sector, all equally responsible for improving the lives of children and families.

Ashington Extended Services Partnership is based at:

Ashington High School Sports College, Green Lane, Ashington,

Northumberland, NE63 8DH.

SCHOOLS WITHIN THE
ASHINGTON PARTNERSHIP:

Ashington High School Sports College	01670 812 166
Bothal Middle School	01670 812 360
Hirst Park Middle School	01670 813 111
Alexandra First School	01670 812 075
Central First School	01670 810 570
Ellington First School	01670 860 769
Hawthorn First School	01670 813 219
Linton First School	01670 860 361
Pegswood First School	01670 512 834
Wansbeck First School	01670 812 324

Enriching the Curriculum at Central First School

All 366 pupils at Central First School were involved in a curriculum enrichment day which was designed to introduce them to a variety of sports to help them build up their self-confidence.  Activities available on the day included archery and climbing and proved to be a great success.

Ashington Children’s Centre: A Brighter Future

Labour MP Hilary Armstrong recently visited the Ashington, Newbiggin and Lynemouth Children’s Centres.  Ms.Armstrong said, “It is a privilege to a visit the Children’s Centre run by NCH and a great pleasure to pay tribute to the brilliant work they do to improve the lives for some of the most vulnerable children and their families.

Following lunch Ms Armstrong sampled some of the activities enjoyed by parents and babies alike including baby massage.  Parents also take part in a range of other classes including cookery, ICT, parenting and craft classes which are offered free of charge and have a crèche for
younger children.

Extra Curricular Activities at Ashington High School

In September 2007 the Ashington High School’s PE Department started an
Active Lunchtimes programme which
aims to involve more students in
lunchtime activities.

A total of 32 year 11 and 13 students were trained to become activity leaders to promote and lead the activities which include badminton, football, history club, archery, chess, cheerleading and kickboxing.

This project has proved to be a huge success with over 8000 recorded pupil attendances in the project’s first four months.  The future of the project has been secured as it has been awarded £5000 from “Awards for All”.

Let’s Dance!!!

Emma Walker, a Year 12 pupil from Ashington High School, runs a dance class as part of the partnership’s extended services provision, working with pupils from first and middle schools, on Tuesday evenings from 5pm to 7pm.  About 25 children, aged between 4 and 12, attend the class. 

The children take part in simple exercises as well as learning dances which they then  have the chance to perform in shows if they so wish as well as enabling  them to meet pupils from other schools.

Healthy Eating at Hawthorn

Hawthorn Church of England First School held several school-based cookery sessions led by David Malone from the Wansbeck Real Food Co-operative.

These sessions involved parents and children cooking  healthy, cost effective meals together helping them to learn new skills including basic food facts, health and safety in the kitchen  as well as other life skills. Both parents and pupils really enjoyed these sessions and, as a result, the school has set up its own cookery club, run by the Catering manager Amanda Elliott, to ensure that the good work continues in the future.

This is an example of an outstanding project with a sustainable, long term future.