Champions - Department for Education

Celebrating
Success
Excellence in
Cities Week 2004
2
Contents
“
It’s a real pleasure to
introduce this celebration
of the achievements of
our twelve national EiC
Champions – young people
and adults who have made
an exceptional contribution
– and the 262 local
champions from whom
they have been chosen.
”
David Miliband
3
Contents
4
Foreword by David Miliband
6
National Champions
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Adam Sholes
Shabana Zaman
Joseph D’Costa
Gemma Lander
Kimberley Thorpe
Michael Coleman
Helen Johnson
Kyle Watt
Hannah Connors
Daniel Cannon
Sukhvinder Kaur & Louise Stokes
22 Local Champions
28 Events Across the Nation
4
Foreword
Foreword
It’s a real pleasure to introduce this celebration
of the achievements of our twelve national
EiC Champions – young people and adults who
have made an exceptional contribution – and
the 262 local champions from whom they
have been chosen.
All our young champions show that from whatever background young
people come – there is no peak they cannot climb with the right support.
Support they deserve and support that Excellence in Cities has provided
through the:
• enhanced opportunities it offers to our Gifted and Talented
young people,
• support Learning Mentors and Learning Support Units offer to children
facing barriers to learning or who are at risk of exclusion, and
• provision of City Learning Centres.
And it’s marvellous to see how that support has paid off. Standards in our
schools have been rising on average across the nation – especially at GCSE.
But for the first time in our history, over the last few years, standards in
schools in our cities have been rising faster than in the country as a whole.
This year schools in EiC authorities once again improved at well over twice
the rate of other schools in terms of the percentage of their pupils achieving
five or more good GCSEs.
5
The success of the Excellence in Cities programme means that thousands
of hard-working families are breaking through the glass ceiling for the
first time. The national and local Excellence in Cities Champions illustrate
their success.
The challenge the Government now faces is to make sure that even more
have the chance to show what they can do. The Government is whole
heartedly committed to this and has been working with partnerships to
maximise their impact on pupil attainment and improving behaviour. This
will help ensure a smooth transition to the New Relationship with Schools
after 2006. At that point we are seeking to rationalise further the funding
streams that go to schools on top of their core funding. The aim is to
combine direct grants targeted at helping schools raise standards into a
single standards grant, but we will ensure that EiC schools continue to
feel the benefits of extra funding targeted at areas of disadvantage. I am
committed to preserving the quantum devolved to Excellence in Cities, to
embedding the changes that these partnerships and clusters are bringing
about and to ensuring schools have the capacity to employ the staff
essential to bringing about these changes on the ground.
I look forward to seeing the continuing success of EiC strategies and
of this year’s Excellence champions.
Best Wishes
David Miliband
6 National Champions
The Winners
For this the third annual Excellence in Cities Week, we received over 260 responses to
our call for Excellence in Cities Champions. The high standard of the nominations made
the judging exceptionally difficult, but after much deliberation the twelve National
Champions, pictured opposite, were chosen. They were honoured at a special celebration
event at the National Portrait Gallery in London and presented with their awards by
School Standards Minister, David Miliband.
David Miliband with the 2004 EiC National Champions at the National Portrait
Gallery, London.
7
Shabana Zaman
Joseph D’Costa
Gemma Lander
Kimberley Thorpe
Michael Coleman
Helen Johnson
Kyle Watt
Hannah Connors
Daniel Cannon
Sukhvinder Kaur
Louise Stokes
Adam Sholes
8
National Champions Award Ceremony
An Awarding day!
Following the
awards ceremony
at the National
Portrait Gallery
9
The Champions had
a ride on the London
Eye, and went
sightseeing on the
“Duck Tour”
10 National Champions
Adam Sholes
Adam Sholes is an exceptional musician who has been working voluntarily as
a ‘Gifted and Talented’ Consultant and Mentor since 2001. He is a one-man
fame academy...
Not content with:
• Supporting talented students to
achieve their academic targets
• Working as a Stress Counsellor
• Helping students to produce
recordings for GCSE work and
for agents
• Co-ordinating the Talent File
• Contributing to the Gold
Artsmark
• Supporting GCSE Music students
using Sibelius to compose
• Becoming Talent Spotter 2004
for Tameside Excellence Cluster
• Acting as a Casting Director
He also produced a new musical
written for the Tameside Talent
Summer School: ‘Starspotter 2004’.
For his contagious passion for
music, his ability to nurture and
develop talent and as a loved and
admired role model to much of
Tameside, Adam Sholes is an
EiC Champion.
11
Shabana Zaman
Shabana achieved 6 GCSEs at A*-C grades and has just come back into the Sixth
Form where she is studying Advanced ICT. She is planning to go to university to study
for a degree.
In year 9, Shabana didn’t get to
school very often. But by year 10,
she achieved an amazing 100%
attendance.
Working with Learning Mentors
and the Pupil Support Base,
Shabana has become ever more
confident in her ability to achieve
success and put behind her some
of the difficulties that she faced.
Today is another milestone with
many more future successes to
come... From West Gate Community
College, Newcastle upon Tyne,
Shabana Zaman is an
EiC Champion.
12 National Champions
Joseph D’Costa
Joseph D’Costa has made a successful transfer to secondary school having achieved
the national average in all SATs. He has improved his attendance up to a level
described as ‘excellent’ and has taken responsibility for improving his behaviour.
Joseph’s attendance dropped when
his father was ill and he did not
want to leave him. The drop in
attendance led to a drop in
confidence, a fear of the tests and
an unwillingness to apply to
secondary school.
One-to-one support for Joseph and
his family, including home visits,
was provided by his Mentors.
For his work in turning around
his academic achievement and
managing his behaviour and
attendance – Joseph D’Costa, from
Whittingham Community School,
London, E17, is an EiC Champion.
13
Gemma Lander
Gemma Lander has achieved 8 GCSE passes and is now enrolled in a
BTEC Electronics/ Engineering course and eventually hopes to join the RAF.
Gemma has worked with both
a Learning Mentor and the
Learning Support Unit to help her
to discover her potential and
improve her self-confidence.
Gemma listened to the advice and
also acted upon it. Her attendance
improved and she made every effort
to keep up to date with her
schoolwork, sometimes against the
odds. While other students were
concentrating on their GCSEs,
Gemma had to spend a great deal
of time at the Housing Office and at
the Social Security Office, trying to
sort out her financial and housing
arrangements. Still she triumphed.
From St Angela’s School Forest
Gate, London, for her fantastic
achievement in taking control of
her life and achieving academic
excellence, Gemma Lander is an
EiC Champion.
14 National Champions
Kimberley Thorpe
Kimberley Thorpe has helped to improve the lives of many people around
her, and people who know her say she never tires of helping others.
Kimberley is a Peer Tutor and is
responsible for helping young
people survive the agonies of
moving into secondary school.
She has supported these younger
pupils, quickly resolving any issues
and difficulties they face. No
wonder they look up to her and
see her as a friend and role model.
Kimberley is also a young leader at
her local scout group and is
registered as a young carer.
Kimberley was awarded the
schools ‘Contribution to the
Community Award’ in 2004.
But Kimberley has not always been
the confident, young person she
has now become. The strategies
provided through the Excellence
in Cities programme and the oneto-one support that it has provided
has helped her to improve her
self esteem... looking at her
picture it has clearly worked!
Her achievements in Maths, English
and Science have rocketed too.
For her services within her
community and considerable
achievements in her own personal
development – Kimberley Thorpe
is an EiC Champion.
15
Michael Coleman
From football star to sports journalist – Michael is a shining example to other
children and has proved that with the right level of determination and confidence,
you can achieve whatever you set out to do.
Michael is a shining example to
other children and has proved
that with the right level of
determination and confidence, you
can achieve whatever you set out
to do, according to Colin Ackerley
his Stepping Stones KS2 Teacher. He
has made extraordinary progress in
both his work and his confidence.
One of his key achievements was to
increase his attendance to 100%.
This was a 100% improvement!
Michael has a fantastic attitude
to work. He tries to excel at
everything he tackles. He has
demonstrated the improvement
in his writing by filing reports on
Euro 2004 matches and he has
also achieved level 4 in all
curriculum areas in his SATs.
For his fantastic academic
performance and his growth in
confidence – Michael Coleman
from Palatine High School,
Blackpool – is an EiC Champion.
16 National Champions
Helen Johnson
One of the greatest barriers to learning that a child can experience is to have
parents that are uninvolved in their schooling.
Happy is the child who, after
experiencing problems, has
someone to come into school to
fight in their corner. Encouraging
parents into school and giving
them the interest, knowledge and
skills necessary to be a part of
their child’s learning is essential
for a child’s feeling of self-worth,
a pre-requisite of learning.
Helen Johnson has been
responsible for encouraging
hundreds of parents into school
life and away from the fringes.
She is responsible for giving them
the confidence to praise and to
complain, to ask and to demand,
to understand and to question, to
know when to stand their ground
and when to back down.
One young man whose mother
had attended one of Helen’s
courses commented very seriously
that he was pleased because his
mother no longer put her hand
through the door when she got
angry! The team waited for an
onslaught from the mother, but
she said, ‘that only happened
before I did my course’.
For her work in the PSHCE team
in Bradford as a Life Education
Centre Educator, Helen Johnson
is an EiC Champion.
17
Kyle Watt
Kyle is a man with a mission. By the summer, if all goes well, he will be on his way
to grammar school with a karate black belt to his name...he has only two more belts
to go to win one.
For a while Kyle looked like
becoming an expert on schools.
He attended five in two years...
before coming back to Cranford
Park School.
Kyle worked with a Learning Mentor
and has emerged an extremely
popular person with everyone who
knows him. His angry days are
now a thing of the past and his
experiences have helped him to
support other pupils having a
tough time at school or at home.
Kyle is a ‘Gifted and Talented’
student attending the ‘Maths
Challenger’ and ‘Writing Challenger’
classes and the school tell us he has
developed a unique writing style.
For his success in his academic
work, his sport and his role in
supporting other pupils in his
school – Kyle Watt from Cranford
Park School is an EiC Champion.
18 National Champions
Hannah Connors
Hannah is a pioneer for her family being the first person to go on to Further
Education, and her achievements are a direct result of her resilience.
The Assistant Principal of William
Morris Academy says, ‘Hannah
Connors has risen to the
challenge; she has faced ongoing
issues, outside and inside the
Academy. She is to be commended
for completing a demanding first
year course and achieving a Merit
Award in Foundation GNVQ Health
& Social Care.’
Her achievements are all the more
considerable given that on starting
secondary school she had real
problems reading and she often
found it hard to put in to words
the issues she was dealing with
at the time. She was in real danger
of falling through the net.
Hannah has been working with
the Excellence team since she left
primary school. She had a Learning
Mentor who undertook a Reading
Recovery approach to literacy
support and her ability to ‘bend it
like Beckham’ means that she has
become a star of the football team
and felt like part of the school for
the first time.
She was at home in the School
Support Centre and struck up good
relationships with Mentors across
the school. Success followed
success, as Hannah’s frustrations
became a thing of the past.
Hannah’s mum is very proud of
what she has achieved and thinks
that Hannah’s young siblings have
now got a really strong role model
to help them to fulfil their potential.
We too are proud of what Hannah
has achieved. From the William
Morris Academy, Hannah Connors
is an EiC Champion.
19
Daniel Cannon
Daniel sent shock waves around Bexley when, in August, he gained 11 GCSE passes.
Not surprisingly Daniel’s self-esteem went through the roof as a result.
Daniel is now considering either an
apprenticeship in plumbing or even
possibly joining the Sixth Form.
Daniel has not always been so
focused and confident and had to
make some tough decisions about
what he wanted from his life and
the sort of man he wanted to be.
With support from a Learning
Mentor he has made the transition
through academic achievement
and by building his confidence.
He is held in very high esteem
by Bexley Academy.
From the Business Academy
Bexley, for excellence in his
academic achievement and turning
around his life to become a model
citizen, Daniel Cannon is an
EiC Champion.
20 National Champions
Sukhvinder Kaur,
Louise Stokes & The Salon
at C14
From ‘Fame Academy’ to ‘The Salon’; our next two award winners are used to
makeovers. Sukhvinder is Manager of the Salon at C14 with Louise, who is also
Assistant Head Girl.
David Miliband with the team from The Salon at C14.
21
Their education make over has
been helped by both Learning
Mentors and Learner Support
Funds. So effective was this
change that one of the parents
thought that they had a new
daughter. Sukhvinder and Louise
have transformed from being late
for class, distracted by their desire
to share beauty secrets, to coming
into school at 8am for a week to
make Salon aprons, design posters,
conduct interviews and train each
other in customer service skills.
On 28 May The Salon at C14
opened. The salon embraces all
cultures and now offers:
• Mendhi
• Corn row plaiting
• Manicure
Sukhvinder and Louise are now
assisted by two more students,
Diana Whyte and Rebecca
Nakimuli, who have also come
into their own at C14.
From Sarah Bonnell School,
Stratford for their groundbreaking
work in developing the salon at
C14 – Sukhvinder, Louise and
the Salon at C14 team are
EiC Champions.
22 Local Champions
EiC Local Champions
Within the pages of this Excellence in Cities Week publication, you will find the
stories of this year’s EiC National Champions as well as a representative selection
of stories about the Local Champions (pages 24 to 27), who are listed below.
This year we received nominations for 262 local champions from which the EiC
National Champions were selected.
Ashford Cluster
Sue Cox
Barking & Dagenham
Alison Berner
Michael Borg
Mikey Robinson
Wayne Baldacchino
Barnsley
Andrew Bird
Calum Elrington
Chantelle Smith
Christopher Murray
First Aid Team Milefield
Primary School
Gina Stephenson Slater
Maureen Teresa Greaves
Medea Kasoev
Mrs J Ashton
Sarah Reed
Sean Power
Steven White
Terrie King
Trevor Fox
Bexley
April Holland
Debra Keable
Joanna Johnson
Louis Payne
Martin Brinkman
Mick Johnson
Mr L Sutton
Mrs J Wellbrook
Sandeep Bains
Birmingham
Lois Willis
Blackburn
with Darwen
Alexandra Haworth
Harriet Denning
Joanne Colling
Miriam Vongai Chitsa
Blackpool
Neil Morris
Boston Cluster
Mrs G Smith
Bradford
Anne Wogden
Clare Taylor MBE
Liz Calvert
Sandra Reynolds
Brighton & Hove
Nigel Watson
Bristol
Carol O’Keeffe
Ellen Cooke
Jason Cole
Leslie O’Hagan
Shelina Nanji
Simon Isles
Tarene Savory
Doncaster
Andrew Hodson & Team
Angela Gibson
Hazel Flint
Learning Mentor Team
Campsmount Technology
College
Learning Mentor Team
Rossington All Saints
School
Taylor Beach & Matthew
Winning
Trevor Shay
Ealing
Havering
Joanne Cole
Jo Scott
Enfield
Hereford Cluster
Annthadine
Ntorinkansah
Tim Savin
Tracey Jones
Gateshead
Sithandazile Ndlovu
Greenwich
Ahmad Al-Saadi
Edward Ngugi
Helena Burke
Marjorie Hodgson and
her mother Connie
Nicholas Deveney
Sharon Swan
The Aimhigher Core
Group, John Roan School
Zandra O’Donnell
Hillingdon Cluster
Amira Aziz
Antony Turner-Morris
Arun Clarke
Carole Norquoy
Debbie Pearce
Gerson Leitao
Joana Nobrega
Sanjeev Gaddu
Sharon Elliott
Hull
Grimsby Cluster
Maggie Short
Mike Russell
Sarah Davies
Vanessa Spick
Vicky Goodson
Dorothy Maudson
Islington
Hammersmith
& Fulham
Sharon Watkins Andrew
Dan Lyndon
Kate Allerston & Phillip
Gates (Dramarama)
Hartlepool
Alison Turner
Gemma Marsh
Jennifer Hanson
Marsha Siswell
Matthew Maddison
Neil Thompson
Nicola Hutchinson
Stephen Reay
Stuart Powell
Tamara Carevic
Margaret Holborn
Kirklees
Max Cummins
Knowsley
Katherine McBryde
Lindsey Meadows
Lancaster Cluster
Helena Townley
Lynn Smith
Leeds
Carolanne Iveson
Jenny McClare
Joanna Davies
Simon Birkenshaw
Sonia Chauhan
Therese Crombleholme
23
Leicester
Alex Cotton
Christie Silk
Gareth Hilton
Kelly Raven
Malini and the Mentors
Liverpool
Denise Barrett-Baxendale
Doreen Shippen
Lora Marie Turnham
Melissa Ronan
Sue Westhead
Luton
Heidi Bernard
Maryam Abbas
Steven Pryer
Tara Brightman
Maidstone Cluster
Deborah Ward
Manchester
Joy Abbott
Kevin Parry
Milton Keynes
Sue Clark
Newcastle
Adam Robson
Amanda Curtis
Ashleigh Alexander
Brian Low
Carlene Robson
Carolyn Wood
Christine Duffy
Christopher Ross
David Kettle
David Wright
Dean Johnson
Francesca Air
Geraldine Wood
Ian Paul Skinner
James Trippett
John Laws
Ka Ming Loi
Kristy Graham
Laura Thompson
Natasha Low
Nicholas Fogg
Patrick Stockle
Phoebe Brown
Rebecca Gaffney
Ryan Grundy
Saimir Luli
Sam Hopper
Sharon Wortley
Shaun Donnison
Sir Charles Parsons
School GCSE Art
Graphics Group
St Mary’s Catholic
Comprehensive Peer
Mentoring Team
Terry Lawson
Romford
Thetford Cluster
Debbie Perry
Gina Cason & Debbie
Killick
Pat Sodey
Ricardo Sousa
Newham
Daniel Dawes
Kate Eggleshaw
Lucie Horner
Nathan Robert Lanthall
Pat Greasley
Robert Elliott
Ryan Whittington
Amrutha Sridhar
Christina Weston
Claire Doherty
David Annan
Doreen Walkely
Dorothea Schulz
Emine Cenkci
Jesse Owurani
Katherine Espinosa
Kim Evans
Laurence Marchant
Liz Bowgett
Mandy Bathe
Mitesh Patel
Priyesh Patel
Swasthi Mahabeer
Therese Smith
Nottingham
Janet Simner
Oldham
Bill Pearson
Jane Clark
Rochdale
Chris Powell
Daniel Shand
Daniel Whitehead
Emma Brown
Kirsty Welsh
Matthew Pulford
Natalie Lamb
Philip Duszczyk
Vicki Banner
Salford
Barbara Smyth
Matthew Wright
Sara Ellis
Sandwell
David Cowley
Jamie Warren
Linda Satchwell
Louise Berry
Rhiannon Lewis
Sheffield
Solihull Cluster
Natasha Wawryka
Southwark
Abimbola Akinfe
Alison Street
Olooluwa Ukim
St Helens
Sue Buckley
Stockton on Tees
Dean Chaffer
Dot Hart
Ian Cochrane
James Butler
John Sudlow
Margaret Ibbotson
Martin Landle
Val Brooks
Trisha Carroll
Sunderland
Andy Williams
Tameside Cluster
Amy Lee
Sasha Wadsworth
Walsall Cluster
Andrea Adshead
Emma Mansell
Jessica Boot
Louise Shackleton
Manjit Kaur
Meg Gallahan
Molly Banks
Vicky Carrington
Waltham Forest
Alfie Stray
Andrew Morris
Gillian Brady
Margaret Cannell
Su Clark
Susan Millard
Sylvia McLean
Tracy d’Vaz
Waffa Girshab
West Cumbria Cluster
Christina Telford
Joanne Blaney
Karen Smith
Wigan
Julia Dean
Ros McMullen
Shane Worgan
Wirral
Gill Curry
Thomas Rich
Wolverhampton
Highfields School GCSE
Art Group
John Bowater
Martin Bialowas
24 Local Champions
Local Champions
Havering
EiC Local Champions Event
As part of Excellence in Cities Week, the DfES
organised a competition to identify Excellence
Champions. In Havering Cluster, we decided that
we would copy this good idea. Each school was
asked to identify a Champion, two for each Infant
School. These Champions were then invited to a very
special day which was held at Redden Court School.
The event was an Excellence Cluster web site
building day. With the help of Mark Boynton, Head
of ICT at Redden Court, we got our Champions to
spend the day with us starting to build our site
and included in it links to sites of their own. This
was a really outstanding day and, although the
site is still under construction, we have had over
6000 ‘hits’ already.
Some of the 17 Havering Local Champions
on their web building day.
Ricardo Sousa
Charles Burrell High School, Thetford
I met Ricardo this summer when I ran a Summer
School for Gifted and Talent Pupils. It was within
six weeks of starting my job as Strand Co-ordinator
for Gifted and Talented. I knew very little about the
venues; had met none of the children and had met
few of the providers and staff involved. However
this did not matter because Ricardo was there early
each day to assist with all aspects of organisation
while participating enthusiastically in the activities
for the day and helping to smooth over the hiccups
that occur when you mix twenty-odd children from
seven different schools.
What makes Ricardo particularly outstanding is that
his family only arrived in this country from Portugal
two years ago. Ricardo had gone from knowing
only a few words of English to having a command
of the language that allows him to interact freely
with adults and peers and achieve highly.
Although he is on the Gifted and Talented register
for his academic achievement, and is determined
to be fluent in the four languages he speaks, it is
his organisational and leadership skills that are
truly remarkable.
25
Heidi Bernard
Stopsley High School
She recently achieved 8 A*s and 4 A’s in her GCSEs
and is now attending the sixth form of a school in
Hertfordshire. Heidi’s outstanding results are a credit
to her, as Cognitive Ability Test (CAT) scores would
not have predicted such high attainment.
In addition to Heidi’s academic achievement, she
was an active member of the school community,
‘Buddying’ younger students and participating in
student voice etc. In the months leading up to her
GCSE’s she also helped mentor other Gifted and
Talented students who needed help to prepare for
the exams as they were less organised.
Heidi is an excellent example of how Excellence
in Cities can motivate and improve attainment.
Heidi wrote to her ex teacher recently and said
‘…the Gifted and Talented programme definitely
helped me to progress and aided my learning…
I achieved 8 A*s & 4 A’s which was more than I
could have imagined!”
Newcastle
EiC Local Champions Event
A group of students nominated for outstanding
achievement were invited, along with their families,
to let their hair down and celebrate their success at
St. James’ Park on 11th October. 50 students were
part of a celebration to mark Excellence in Cities
(EiC) Week and had been nominated as EiC
Champions in recognition of their achievements.
(Newcastle United FC player) handed out
certificates to the nominees as well as giving
autographs and posing for photographs!
These included overcoming academic and personal
challenges in order to improve their attainment or
attendance, helping other pupils and taking part in
community activities.
The evening was greatly enjoyed by students,
families and staff. Barbara Gubbins, Chief
Executive of The Children’s Foundation gave a
fantastic motivational speech and Shola Ameobi
Some of Newcastle’s local champions at
St James’ Park home to Newcastle United.
26 Local Champions
Matthew Maddison
Manor School, Hartlepool
Matthew was Manor’s Head Boy (2003-04) and has achieved the best
examination results in Hartlepool with 10 A* and 6 A grades at GCSE and
an ‘A’ grade in A level ICT, in the summer 2004 examinations.
An outstanding pupil, Matthew’s brilliance was recognised in 2002 when he won
the ‘Most Outstanding KS3 Academic Pupil’ at the prestigious EIC Celebration of
Achievement Evening organised by Hartlepool LEA. Furthermore, Matthew was
runner up in two categories (including the Tees Valley Young Achiever of the Year
Award) at the Tees Valley Learning Skills Council/Connexions Presentation Evening in 2003.
Conscientious, very intelligent and extremely modest, Matthew is a relatively shy boy but during his five years
at Manor he overcame his reticence and has spoken beautifully at a number of major public events.
Matthew is now studying ‘A’ level History, Maths/Advanced Maths, English Combined and Law at Hartlepool Sixth
Form College and is destined for great things at University and in his subsequent career. The achievement of the
best individual results since the inception of Hartlepool LEA in 1996-7 singles out Matthew as an extraordinary
talent. He is Manor’s ‘Student of the Year’ and is established as our record breaking pupil. We are very proud of
him and he represents everything that is best about Hartlepool children and the EIC Initiative in general.
Christie Silk
St Paul’s Catholic School, Leicester
Christie is an extremely able pupil and has been part of the Gifted and Talented Cohort since its inception.
She has achieved extremely well, working in classes which may not at times have had an atmosphere
conducive to work. Nevertheless, at GCSE level she gained 7 grade A*, 2 grade A and 1 grade C. Her highest
achievement was, however, to be placed 5th nationally in the English Literature examination. Recently at AS
level, she achieved 4 grade As, and in fact again, 100% in English Literature. Her marks in French, History and
Biology were also very high. Furthermore, during her year 12, she also undertook a module in science for the
Open University, for which she studied on her own with help from a tutor from the Open University.
The Excellence in Cities initiative gave Christie the opportunity to study for an Advanced Extension Award
(AEA) in Critical Thinking whilst in year 12. She had an occasional lesson with a teacher at St Paul’s and
attended three short half-day courses in the subject with a lecturer in Critical Thinking. She obtained a
Merit pass at AEA this summer.
Christie has proved to be a superb ambassador for the school. She has been interviewed on Radio Leicester,
a local radio station, because of her high academic achievement, and has thus promoted the image of EiC
within the city as well as the challenge of learning and the rewards of achieving.
She has lacked belief in her own ability. However, EiC has given her the opportunities and encouraged her to
see her true potential. She will probably be applying to Oxford next year, and if successful she will be the
first student from our school to achieve this for a number of years. This too can only serve to raise the image
of excellence and encourage others to achieve as highly.
27
Emine Cenkci
Langdon School, Newham
Emine was diagnosed with a form of juvenile
arthritis six years ago. Right from the beginning
she has not let this deter her, refusing to use a
wheelchair or staying at home and not attending
school. Emine has always stayed as mobile as
possible even when doctors tried out new drugs
on her.
She is a well represented and polite student who
is an excellent role model for her peers and has
been a fantastic ambassador for young people,
representing Langdon School on many occasions.
Emine, on the right, with Learning Mentor
Yasmin Patel (Picture provided by the
Newham Recorder).
Emine has been involved with the school/year
council and as an active peer mediator she is
always ready to listen and help in any way she
can. She has given up her time during holidays
and weekends to attend training and forums.
She participated in painting a peace wall for
the community, took part in a musical comedy
presentation, and has helped with fund raising
for numerous charities, including taking part in a
sponsored walk. Emine took her GCSE in Turkish
whilst in year 9 and achieved a grade A. Prior to
taking her GCSEs in year 11, she was taken into
hospital to have both her hip joints replaced, despite
this she still managed to sit and pass six GCSEs.
28 Events
EIC Week is not about champions alone, it is also about the EIC Partnership and
Cluster celebrations and events which helped to make this year’s Excellence in
Cities Week so successful. The following section comprises reports of events from EiC
and Cluster Coordinators from around the regions.
Brent – London
Architecture
and Regeneration
The architecture and regeneration project, which was planned a year ago, came to a grand
competitive finale on October 12th at the Preston Manor CLC. Eight secondary schools had
spent the previous eight months looking at four specified areas of the borough with a view
to redesigning them as areas in which they would like to live and work.
From January to March ten
presentations were given to
the group from national and
international companies. They
looked at buildings across the
world, how spaces were adapted
for public need, how to incorporate
the physics of bridge building into
their structures and how public
policy in health and transport were
essential elements of the borough
planning policy. They met architects,
borough planners, construction
engineers, artists, health
professionals, and people from
local businesses.
A professional consultant worked
with each team, all of which
received a practical workshop on
building structures. The summer
term was spent in surveying the
sites, interviewing user groups
and designing a 3D model of their
ideas with supporting interior and
exterior elevations. Their 30-minute
presentation to the judges was
a tension ridden and gruelling
experience which students handled
with aplomb.
There could only be one winner
in the prize sense, but the Chief
Borough Planner, who was one of
the judges, has promised to take
into account what these Brent
residents want.
And the winners?…Queens Park
Community School with the
proposals and model of Harlesden
Cultural Centre.
29
Kent – South East
Gravesham
Excellence Cluster
Pupils from all the primary schools in Gravesham in North West Kent celebrated the
first year of the Gravesham Excellence Cluster with the publication during EiC Week
of a collection of their best Pictures, Poems and Prose.
Phil Monaghan, the Gravesham
Excellence Cluster Coordinator,
said, “Staff and pupils really
threw themselves into the task of
bringing together this booklet and
there is some really outstanding
work here. This shows what schools
in Gravesham are already doing
to raise achievement – both
individually and together.”
Other events arranged during
the week included a trip to the
Tower of London for 30 Year 7
gifted and talented pupils. During
the visit the pupils worked in
groups to produce a large model
of the White Tower and a working
portcullis. In addition the University
of Kent facilitated Robotics and
Forensic Science courses.
Amongst many other innovations
and initiatives being promoted by
the Excellence Cluster, the Tailored
Strand has directly led to the
development of new vocational
courses in construction and catering
with North West Kent College,
together with projects in association
with the Institute of Education
and King’s College to develop
alternative approaches to teaching
and improved partnerships with
parents respectively.
Luton – Eastern Region
Growing the Future
Luton’s students have been ‘Growing the Future’ for this year’s Excellence in Cities Week.
Schools challenged students,
through a wide range of activities,
to become engaged in learning
about the environment and thinking
about how to make their town
a better place. This was supported
by a curriculum booklet to assist
teachers in developing the theme
through a wide range of lessons
and activities.
Luton EiC team provided
opportunities for students from their
primary and secondary schools to
take part in a series of linked events
which culminated in a competition
to design a garden for one of
the town’s roundabouts – an
opportunity to be involved in
creating and improving their
own environment.
Working with corporate support
and sponsorship the winning entry
will eventually welcome visitors to
the borough as they leave the M1
at Junction 10.
To support the competition,
Year 9 students from all of Luton’s
secondary schools were provided
with the opportunity to visit
Kew Gardens. This visit provided
inspiration and information for some
of the highly creative and detailed
designs that were later submitted.
Our aim has been to raise the
profile of the town and its
environment, whilst encouraging
our young people to take
responsibility for their own
community and its appearance.
We are looking forward to seeing
the winning roundabout design
realised early next year.
30 Events
Wirral – North West
Wastelands
Six Wirral Secondary Schools took part in a Liverpool Biennial Art Workshop at the
Tate Gallery in September. They worked at the Tate Gallery Liverpool with Spanish Artist
Lara Almareegui, who is currently exhibiting there displaying a video of the Liverpool
Garden Centre site.
Lara’s work was both thought
provoking and stimulating and she
led a tour of four wasteland sites
around Canning Street, the students
recorded the surroundings with
video and digital camera footage
as well as sketch pad work.
At the Learning Lighthouse CLC
they compiled and edited a DVD
for a presentation at City College
Liverpool where an exhibition of
the 24 students work is currently
on display. The image boards and
film footage will be used as part
of their GCSE exhibitions in
summer 2005.
This project was so successful
that Wirral students and the
Liverpool Biennial look forward
to collaborating again in 2006.
Sefton – North West
Valuing Diversity
‘A Different Taste’
Sefton and its Learning Mentors were once again involved in celebrating Excellence in
Cities Week, a significant year as many of the local primaries had recently become part
of the programme.
EiC Week was very much about
valuing diversity and celebrating
differences. It gave the young
people from the area an
opportunity to gain a flavour
of new, interesting and cultural
experiences and for the week
to embody the philosophy
of EiC to encourage equality
of opportunity.
Julie Rimmer, the Link Learning
Mentor worked closely with all the
strands of EiC to ensure all schools
were invited to participate. Some
2,500 young people benefited
from the 130 sessions held in
primary, secondary and special
schools in the area. These were
provided by 15 artists/practitioners
in 40 schools. The week included
African Drumming, Poetry and
Rap, African Singing, Caribbean
Cookery, Story Telling, Indian
Dance and Arts and Craft.
Feedback from the schools has
been extremely positive. Here are
just a few of the comments
“Both afternoons were successfully
received and enjoyed by the
children. The performers were
excellent.”
“All pupils across the key-stages
gained so much from the
experience. The pupils sang songs
using the African language and
authentic African drumming
rhythms and patterns. The ‘steel
pans’ session was particularly
moving as mainstream pupils and
pupils with Emotional and
Behavioural Difficulties (E.B.D)
worked so well together and
became totally absorbed”
31
Lancashire – North West
East Lancashire Cluster
Anyone with a passion for learning looked forward to the start of an action-packed
week of educational opportunities in Burnley.
Towneley Park City Learning
Centre hosted a series of exciting
events to mark the national
‘Excellence in Cities Week’ from
11th – 15th October.
The CLC, which is based in the
grounds of Towneley High School,
welcomed over 600 pupils from 5
secondary and 10 primary schools,
as well as members of the local
community, to take part in activities
which demonstrated innovative
ways of teaching and learning
and the use of ICT to assist this.
Events included a political debate,
an online maths class, drama,
forensic science, kinaesthetic
learning, karaoke, a lego challenge
and imaginative scientific
experiments led by Peter Riley
who is the author of many
National Curriculum text books.
Students used PCs to research
answers to a quiz.
Peter led a number of classes
throughout the week which were
entitled ‘What Planet Are You On?’
Students looked at Earth and Space
and these sessions provided a
bridging opportunity between KS2
and KS3. The lessons were designed
to be enjoyable and to provide
some ideas which could be
developed further between primary
and secondary schools as lesson
starters in work on science
National Curriculum. The lessons
started off by students making a
galaxy in a coffee cup. They then
became very active and explored
gravity through movement within
the room.
Peter then used an interactive
white board and a picture gallery
to demonstrate amazing images
of the universe which linked into
the lesson. The students then
moved to individual PCs where
they were provided with a series
of photographs. These enabled
them to research answers to a
quiz which reinforced the learning
objectives. A headteacher of a
local primary school remarked on
how impressed he was with the
lesson. Another teacher said that
doing the lesson this way made
it look too easy!
32 Events
Salford – North West
Celebrations for
Salford’s High Achievers
There was a double celebration for Salford students during EiC Week as their
achievements were honoured in two high profile celebratory events.
Ex Newcastle and Arsenal footballer
Pat Howard was the star guest at
the Aimhigher Sports Curriculum
Network evening, where students
from Salford College, Wentworth
High School and the University
of Bolton were presented with
certificates in recognition of
their inspirational work with
younger pupils.
The students, for the second year
running, planned, managed and
delivered a full day of sport for
120 Year 7 pupils from Wentworth,
at the prestigious Bolton Arena.
Activities included everything from
tennis to Brazilian jujitsu. Bolton
Wanderers’ coach Jack Trainer was
also on hand at the presentation
to offer some motivational advice
about the importance of getting
good qualifications in all subjects
as well as ‘aiming high’ in their
sporting skills.
The achievements continued as
the work of the city’s gifted and
talented pupils was promoted at
a celebration day at Moorside City
Learning Centre. Pupils, parents
and teachers attended the event,
which showcased gifted and
talented pupils’ work, demonstrated
the extra-curricular opportunities
available to them and highlighted
the new opportunities for able
pupils coming up this year.
Salford boasts the highest number
of pupils sitting World Class
Challenges, which test outstanding
ability in maths and problem solving.
Salford College’s Wade Hill
shows the way to Year 7
pupils from Wentworth High
School as part of Salford’s
Aimhigher Sports Curriculum
Network Events Day.
Peter Corker from NAGTY with
Academy members Lee Dillon
and Jacky Price from Irlam
& Cadishead Community
High School.
33
Hartlepool – North East
North East
Media Challenges
Hartlepool City Learning Centre continually enhances provision of ICT to aid teaching
and learning initiatives. It is an extremely popular Centre and is often over-booked.
An extension has just been opened
to cope with demand and to
incorporate extra technology to
increase high-specification media
access to all learners across the
town. In order to promote this new
facility and to celebrate EiC Week,
the CLC organised a range of
events using the whole Centre,
with the emphasis on the new
extension and its facilities.
Television and Paul Moonie, a
weather presenter from BBC
Television to take part and spend
time teaching the pupils how to
either newsread, or present the
weather. To give it that extra edge
and give it an ‘inter-school’
competitive nature, a competition
was held where the winner received
a ‘star prize’. This made it even
more popular with pupils!
To make this as hard-hitting and
popular as it could be, the help of
local media personalities was
enlisted. We arranged for Mark
Warr, a newsreader for Tyne Tees
Both main events went extremely
well with pupils and all of them
gave very positive feedback about
their time here. Another benefit of
using the media to take part in the
event was that EiC and the CLC
gained very positive press. It was
highlighted in all three news
bulletins on BBC ‘Look North’ on
Friday 15th October. Since the event
and its subsequent reporting on
television, a number of teachers
have contacted us to see how
they could incorporate this new
technology into their own subjects.
It has raised their awareness of the
power that ICT has for motivating
pupils, enhancing their teaching
and making their lessons more fun!
Camden – London
Macbeth with Kar2ouche
Year 9 Gifted and Talented
students from Hampstead School
came to Camden CLC to
participate in a day of Macbeth.
The focus was the SATs scene from
last year, Act 3 scene 1. Students
used a CD-ROM to make notes
about the play and its historical
and cultural context. Secondly, they
watched a BBC version of the
scene in order to begin to
understand the main events.
Students read the extract and
remarked upon how reading
Shakespeare made them feel and
discussed strategies to make this
language more friendly. Some
thought reading out aloud
beneficial, whilst others thought
trying different accents quite fun.
Students created short animations
using Kar2ouche software in order
to show their understanding of the
play, its context, the scene and
how it relates to the rest of the
play, combining scripted text,
modern English and today’s slang!
34 Events
Hull – Yorkshire and the Humber
EiC Week in Hull
EiC Week in Hull was a very busy time for many of the partnership schools and colleges.
A group of twelve teachers took
a walk down memory lane when
they participated in a story-writing
workshop, held at The Dales
Primary School on Friday
15 October 2004. The teachers,
from Bransholme and East Hull,
went back to the classroom – not
as teachers, but as students.
Tucking their knees beneath undersized desks, they worked alongside
Key Stage 1 pupils, taking part in
a classroom story-writing workshop
under the direction of expert
teacher and trainer Ben Brunwin.
Ben conducts training sessions for
teachers which focus on developing
children’s reading and writing skills.
Other events included
• Tutors, students and their families
at Wyke College enjoying the
opportunity to celebrate the
successful examination results
that were gained in 2004. The
College organised and held their
annual Aimhigher Celebration
Evening on Wednesday 13
October 2004, which included
giving out achievement awards.
• Pupils at St George’s Primary
School in West Hull, were
‘Vikings For A Day’, working
with local group ‘Scapstore’ to
build a Viking longboat and
Viking shields.
Vikings at St George’s Primary. Photo provided by the Hull Daily Mail.
• An explosion of excellence on
Monday 11 October in the main
hall at Newland School for Girls.
It was filled with examples of
high quality work from across
the curriculum.
• Large screen video footage of
recent events held at the school
including Kathakali and Sports
Day. The choir performed and
a video of a school concert
was shown.
As always, local media coverage
was excellent with a dedicated
supplement showcasing the week’s
events in the local paper.
35
Knowsley – North West
Robot Wars
with Team Tornado
On Thursday 14th October 2004 David Miliband, Minister for Standards in Schools
visited Huyton CLC in Knowsley.
David Miliband took the opportunity
to tour the Centre and try out
the range of facilities that are
available. The Minister also had the
opportunity to participate in the
virtual studio session with a group
of Year 11 Media GCSE students
from Knowsley Hey School who
put him through his paces with a
number of searching questions.
The challenge was on during EiC
Week to build a robot and use
control technologies to operate
it. Andrew Marchant from Team
Tornado demonstrated his Robot
Wars 6th Series winning robot
‘Tornado’. Children were given the
opportunity to challenge the robot
to see how many of them it would
take to pull Tornado, usually taking
about nine pupils.
A number of children had the
chance to interview Andrew and
then produced a news programme
based on their experiences with
the robot.
Lucky winners of the ‘Tornado’
competition were given the
opportunity to drive the
celebrity robot.
Barnsley – Yorkshire and the Humber
Dearne EiC Action Zone
As part of the Excellence in Cities Celebration Week the Dearne EiC Action Zone
received funding from the DfES to launch a pioneering ICT/Literacy project with
a focus on film studies.
On Tuesday 12th October 188
pupils from our primary partner
schools accompanied by staff
arrived excitedly at the Universal
General Cinema in Sheffield to
see the preview of the film “Five
Children and It”, based on the
E Nesbitt story. For some of our
pupils this was the first visit they
had ever made to the cinema and
as an extra surprise each pupil
received a complimentary
refreshment pack which they
tucked into during the interval.
The preview was part of National
Film Week which fortunately
coincided with the EiC Annual
Celebration. Each class received a
copy of the story book and many of
the pupils from the Dearne have
already started reading it.
Raising attainment in Literacy is a
Zone priority and using film as a
stimulus is one of the most creative
and innovative ways of introducing
into the curriculum aspects of
speaking, listening, reading and
writing. This event afforded us a
wonderful opportunity and the staff
involved in the launch are already
leading the way in this exciting new
venture. The impact will be seen as
the programme rolls out to all
pupils and staff in the Zone.
36 Events
Bradford – Yorkshire and the Humber
Gifted and Talented
During Excellence in Cities Week this year we organised a wide range of events and
activities. The idea was to raise awareness of our Gifted and Talented programme,
celebrate the role of Learning Mentors and promote self esteem for everyone involved.
We asked for children who would not normally be picked as a great footballer or a
‘brain box’ to be part of the schools’ teams in order to give them a go and make
them feel good about themselves.
Among the events held this
year were:
• a creative writing competition –
we were staggered, but extremely
pleased, to receive over three
hundred entries from all
Key Stages.
• our first ever Primary Kids’ Quiz.
Twenty six primary schools took
part. Teams consisted of a
Learning Mentor along with
a year 3, year 4 and year 5
student. The runners up were
Heaton Primary and the overall
winners were Bradford Moor
Community Primary.
• a secondary school quiz loosely
based on University Challenge.
Many schools took part. This
was a fantastic opportunity for
schools to get together and for
pupils to meet other students
and socialise. The runners up
were Bingley Grammar and the
overall winners were Immanuel
C of E Community College.
• a Primary Football tournament
at Thornton Grammar Sports
College with over 48 teams
entered. Each team consisted
of 7 members, two of which
had to be girls. As well as
runners up and winners we
also gave a Fair Play award!
Runners up were Cottingley
Village Primary; overall winners
were St Walburga’s Catholic
Primary, with the Fair Play Award
going to Eastwood Primary.
• other events included a
competition called ‘Saving the
Ice Trolls’, a sponsored walk
around Bradford City’s football
ground, indoor cricket,
educational martial arts, and
the grand finale of the week was
a ceremony where all the winners
and runners up were presented
with certificates by Mark Pattison,
Managing Director of Education
Bradford, David Platt, School
Improvement Director, Education
Bradford and Anne Hayward, a
DfES consultant.
We have had lots of feedback
from schools expressing their
thanks and delight at the way
the week was organised and the
manner in which the final day
celebrated the achievement of
many of our students.
Primary football tournament finalists.
37
Rochdale – North West
St. Cuthbert’s Aimhigher
St. Cuthbert’s School collaborated with The Learning Game organisation to provide
two focused, custom built activity days on the theme of Examination Success.
All the students in year 10 and 11 within the Aimhigher Cohort were involved.
Sessions included:
• Discovering our preferred
learning styles. Some students
found they had a marked
advantage in learning using
visual, auditory or kinaesthetic
techniques while others were
enlightened as to how they
could use a variety of inputs
to strengthen their retention
of knowledge.
• Scaffolding practical revision
techniques such as use of colour
in making revision notes, mind
mapping, mnemonics, lists and
pictograms. The practical
groupwork we undertook
revealed that one student was
able to remember a random list
of twenty objects perfectly in
two minutes, by creating a series
of visual images to prompt her
memory. She was able to share
‘the secret’ with her peers.
• Understanding our barriers to
learning. The facilitator helped
our students to understand
more about how their brains
worked and how to maximise
their potential.
• Creating a successful
environment. Students discussed
alternative study habits that they
found useful and effective. We
looked at setting challenging but
achievable goals, planning an
effective revision programme
and establishing a productive
working environment.
• Coping with examination stress.
The seminars ended with an
opportunity for the groups to
learn and practice how to relax.
Many students commented on
how useful they found a time
of quiet contemplation and
reflection at a time when they
have a multitude of demands
in their academic life.
The success of the days were very
much a product of the mature and
open way our students were able
to respond to a professional adult
and factors that influence their
ability to achieve their true
potential. In this they were ably
supported by their year team staff.
We intend to follow up on these
initial sessions throughout the
academic year.
38 Events
South Tyneside – North East
Parents’ Conference:
Thursday 7th October 2004
On 7th October 2004 the EiCAZ held a Conference for parents of Reception and
Year 1 children in EiCAZ schools. Representatives and teachers from many of the
schools attended.
and made their own model. The
morning session was challenging,
creative and stimulating as well as
fun and interesting.
Chris Bostock rounded off the
conference in spectacular fashion
with an oral storytelling session for
parents. Chris then spoke about the
power of oral storytelling and its
importance in our heritage.
The conference had a Science
and Storytelling focus and the
day began with Tom Mulholland
delivering a workshop to parents
on the various ways the elements
of air, pressure, force and wind play
an important part in our everyday
lives. After coffee, parents designed
The day was a great success with
the evaluation forms completed by
the parents identifying the need for
more conferences. The evaluations
were very positive indeed and the
parents said they hoped to be able
to support the school with the
relevant initiatives.
Here are some of the parents’
comments:
• “the storytelling evoked
enthusiasm for telling and hearing
stories and made me aware of
the power stories can have”
• “realising that very interesting
stories can come from the most
basic theme”
• “the storyteller gave good ideas
on how to encourage children to
use their imagination to tell their
own stories”
• “if Science had been this
interesting in school I would
have enjoyed and understood
the subject”
• “demonstrated how science can
be made fun and interesting”
39
Hammersmith and Fulham – London
Shakespeare Live at the
National Portrait Gallery
Following the presentation of awards to the EiC National Champions at the National
Portrait Gallery in London on 11 October, the invited audience of EiC and Cluster
Coordinators, Headteachers, Teachers, Learning Mentors and DfES officials were treated
to a magnificent production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
A shortened version of the play was
acted out by pupils from Wendell
Park Primary School, Hammersmith
and Fulham. As Simon Robinson,
headteacher at the school, pointed
out to the audience, the pupils
acting in the play were all ten and
eleven year olds from his school,
and as such were nearer the ages
of Romeo and Juliet than most
professional actors who have made
a name for themselves portraying
these characters.
The children had previously
performed the play at school for
parents and teachers and were
invited to perform at the National
Portrait Gallery by the Department
for Education and Skills to help
launch the third annual EiC Week.
The play was produced and directed
by Phillip Gates and Kate Allerston,
co-artistic directors of Dramarama,
a professional theatre company.
Kate and Phillip, two of our EiC
Local Champions, were nominated
Pupils from Wendell Park Primary School in ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
by Cherrille Stanway, the EiC
Coordinator for Hammersmith and
Fulham, for the excellent drama
work they have done with the
schools in the borough.
40 Events
St Helens – North West
Mentees’ “Rocketeering”
Day Hits the Heights!!!
During EiC Week, St Helens Mentors celebrated the success of their Year 8 Mentees
by taking them to Rainhill CLC for a day’s experience of “rocketeering”.
The theme was ‘Reach for the Sky’
and that’s just exactly what they
did during the morning’s work.
Rob O’Brien, who is associated
with Edge Hill College, introduced
them to the topic of space travel
and rocket history through an
interactive computerised session in
the CLC. After this the school teams
constructed their rockets from kits
following the instructions carefully
and working collaboratively in
terms of construction and decision
making. During this the Mentors
and CLC staff were observing
them in terms of team work,
collaboration, discussion and
listening skills and marking them
on their observation logs.
After a refreshment break of fresh
juice and fruit the Mentees went
out into the open spaces to fire
their rockets. Every single rocket
went successfully into the clouds
and then returned to earth to be
taken back to school as trophies
in their displays.
This was an exciting finale to a
morning which had exercised
visual, audio and kinaesthetic skills
and also the life skills of teamwork
and collaboration.
“Can we come next year?” was
the plea as the students left
for school.
Chris Davison, a DfES Policy
Adviser said “The St Helen’s EiC
Learning Mentor programme has
had real success in improving the
achievements and life chances of
pupils. The celebration day was
developed as a reward to successful
pupils, but also provided excellent
innovative learning opportunities –
a credit to all of the staff involved
in this high quality programme.”
41
West Cumbria – North West
EiC Week Celebration
Thursday, 14th October
The celebratory event at St Michael’s Conference Centre was the highlight of West
Cumbria’s EiC Week. Over 100 guests attended, including the Mayors of the three
towns in the cluster (Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport), headteachers from
all the cluster schools, LEA representatives, cluster employees and many pupils from
the 15 cluster schools.
The intention was to celebrate
what had been achieved in the
first three years and to explain
plans for 2004-2006.
The event opened with a group
of primary pupils from Distington
Community School performing
their own written story of ‘the
foolish tiger’ to the accompaniment
of their 20 strong Gamalan
orchestra (an example of our
tailored strand that seeks to
overcome cultural isolation). The
performance took place in the
main body of the church and this
provided a perfect setting for the
dancers in costume, with perfect
acoustics for the orchestra.
Guests then made their way to the
main conference room where a
series of presentations took place:
• Stan Aspinall, Director of the
cluster, gave a brief introduction
and welcome.
• Three students from Netherhall
School explained how the Gifted
and Talented provision in their
school had made a real
difference to their lives.
• Two post 16 students from
Whitehaven described how they
had taken and passed Open
University short courses and
what this was like.
• Two Learning Mentors gave an
account of their work and how
they think they are making
a difference.
• David Sibbit, Head of Netherhall
emphasised that the cluster
allowed schools to cooperate
rather than compete.
The event ended with a question
and answer session during which
Councillor Bill Southward, Mayor
of Workington said he’d been
surprised at the variety and
excellence of the work going
on in the cluster.
42 Events
Crewe – North West
Cheshire Young People’s
Learning Journey
Cheshire Young People’s Learning Journey is an exciting and innovative educational
project for children and young people of all abilities, aged between 2 and 19. It is run
by Excellence in Crewe and the Cheshire LEA and all schools in Cheshire have the
opportunity to take part.
Back in April, a countywide
challenge was set for school pupils
by The Green Knight at the summit
of Shining Tor, the highest point in
Cheshire. He called all Cheshire
young people and laid down a
challenge for them. The challenge
was for them to find out as much
as they could about their local
history within the next six months
and 1 day.
Since then, children and young
people throughout Cheshire have
been taking part in a voyage of
exploration and discovery. On their
Learning Journey, each pupil has
been encouraged to investigate
the remarkable county they live in.
This could have been by looking at
significant historic events such as
Roman Chester or geographical
features that have shaped Cheshire
industry, such as salt, silk and rail.
The pupils have benefited from
a rich resource of information and
support provided by organisations
throughout Cheshire. Museums
and galleries, libraries and
archives, education initiatives and
local government have all given
time and energy to help the
children along their exciting
Learning Journey route. And with
organisations such as AstraZeneca,
Vauxhall Motors and the Ladies
Circle providing valuable
sponsorship, the project had all
the ingredients to become the
huge success that it now is.
The pinnacle of the CYPLJ project
was an action-packed activity
week that took place in the
participating schools across
Cheshire from 11 – 15 October
and Celebration Days at Tatton
Park on 20 and 21 October.
Copies of this publication can be obtained from:
DfES Publications
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annesley
Nottingham NG15 0DJ
Tel: 0845 6022260
Fax: 0845 6033360
Textphone: 0845 6055560
Email: [email protected]
Please quote ref: 1105-2004DGL-EN
© Crown copyright 2004
Produced by the Department for Education and Skills
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