Darlington 11­19 Practitioner Newsletter

Welcome In This Issue…

It is a great pleasure to introduce the first Practitioner Newsletter of the • Hummersknott Academy ­ Literary Dreams academic year. • Longfield Academy ­ Geography Department Achieves National Once again it gives me great pleasure to recognise the first class Award

academic achievements of all of our students in the Secondary and Post • Carmel College ­ Sporting Legacy 16 sectors; Darlington continues to build upon its reputation for Fund academic excellence and my congratulations go out to all of the staff, • Longfield Academy ­ UK Maths Challenge whose hard work, dedication and commitment have ensured that the • Darlington College ­ SkillBuild students have optimised their potential and thus given them the best possible chances of success when they move onto the next stages of • Hurworth School ­ Student Business Challenge their lives. • Hummersknott Academy ­ English Schools ’ Track and Field As you will see from the great variety of activities represented in these Championships pages, the Partnership remains vibrant and diverse in its work, and • Education Village Academy Helps Students Achieve Their Dreams young people in Darlington continue to make a contribution not only through their own personal successes but also by supporting the success • Longfield Academy ­ Celebrates 100% Attendance

of others. • Haughton Academy ­ ‘Building My Skills ’ Even a brief glimpse at this edition of the newsletter reveals just how • Hummersknott Academy ­ Maths much 11­19 year olds in Darlington do to help others. At a time when Champions

our young people face so many great challenges, it is inspiring to be • Foundation For Jobs

reminded of their capacity to make such a positive difference to their • Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College world. ­ Top Students

• Longfield Academy ­ London 2012 Legacy I’m confident that this strong platform will be built upon in the academic year 2013­14 and we will all enjoy another first class year. • Carmel College ­ Chemistry at Work

• DBC —Summer Programme 2013 Best wishes • Darlington College ­ Maguires Carpets ’ Apprentices

• Carmel College ­ Stunning Results

• Careers Guidance

• DBC —ESF Summer Programme to Next Steps

• Heritage Schools Programme

Issue 13

Dean Judson October 2013 © Darlington 11 ­19 Head Teacher, Hurworth School Partnership Chair, 11­19 Partnership

1 Literary Dreams

Kathryn Elwell, 15, a Hummersknott Academy student has published her first book – “Chasing Blackbirds: The Letters of War”.

The book is a tale of power, murder and war; the problems of an entire city and the fate of thousands more.

Kathryn wrote the 80,000 word book in a single month and then spent many more months editing and refining the story. Her initial inspiration to write the book was par­ ticipation in National Novel Writing Month in August 2011, where the challenge is to write an entire novel in a month. She then edited the book herself before submitting it to a publishing company.

At the time of publication Kathryn said “Writing a novel was a dream I’d always had and once I’d started, it seemed to write itself. I think in the future I would like to have a career in Science, but would hope to continue writing as a hobby – in the meantime I am working hard for my GCSEs.”

Kathryn did continue to work hard for her GCSEs and take part in extra­curricular activities – being one of the first students to complete the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award at the Academy. In August this year she was delighted to achieve outstanding results with 10A*s at GCSE, and an OCR distinction.

Kathryn was also one of a group of five students from Hummersknott Academy who achieved full marks in a GCSE exam. Kathryn and Lindsey Pearson achieved the top score in English Literature, whilst Lucy Gray and Luke Hewitson achieved them in English Language and Jack Foxabbott in RS. Full marks was a fitting result for these hard working students.

Geography Department Achieves National Award

Longfield Academy of Sport is pleased to announce that we have recently been awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark by the Geography Association.

Out of 64 award winners we are the only school in County Durham to be awarded this national award in 2013.

This award recognises the new and innovative approaches to teaching geography and the success of the department. The SGQM, now into its fifth year, recognises student attainment, progress and achievement in areas such as geographical knowledge, understanding, values, skills and concepts, and sets expectations about the quality of teaching in geography. It aims to promote effective subject leadership and management, helping subject leaders raise the standards of geography in their schools.

2 Carmel secures £49,000 from sporting legacy fund

Students at Carmel College and the local community can look forward to decades of high­quality sport after Carmel secured £49,105 of National Lottery investment from Sport England’s Protecting Playing Fields fund.

The College will use the investment to improve the playing surface and drain the water­logged football and rugby pitches at the back of the school.

Simon Hannaford, Curriculum Leader for Physical Education, said: “We are delighted to receive this investment as we can improve the quality of our playing fields to match the talent of our football and rugby players. We will continue to develop grassroots sports at Carmel and are proud to be part of the 2012 Olympics’ legacy.

Minister for Sport, Hugh Robertson, said: “The Protecting Playing Fields fund is a key part of the legacy from London 2012, improving facilities up and down the country. Good pitches, that can be used all year round, are vital to sustain and encourage sports participation. This additional lottery investment will help increase opportunities for people to get involved in sport.”

The playing field will also be protected from developers for at least 25 years, creating an enduring benefit for sport.

UK Maths Challenge

Pupils at Longfield Academy of Sport achieved 5 silver and 7 bronze in this year's UKMT Junior Maths Chal­ lenge. Over 240,000 pupils from across the UK sat the Junior Maths Challenge with roughly the top 6% receiving a Gold certificate, the next 13% Silver and the next 21% Bronze.

The following pupils will receive certificates during an assembly at the Academy.

Best in School and Best Girl ­ Kathryn Bennie

Best Boy and Silver ­ Callum Butler

Silver ­ Thomas Carter, Matthew Handley and Luke Swainston.

Longfield would like to congratulate all the pupils involved.

The Junior Maths Challenge is run by UK Mathematics Trust and is aimed at pupils in years 7 and 8 and is sat in school.

The UK Mathematics Trust is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. It organises national mathematic competitions and other mathematical enrichment activities for UK secondary school pupils. Further information about the trust and its activities is available at www.ukmt.org.uk

3 SkillBuild Construction

Students have been laying the foundations of future success after dazzling judges with their craftsmanship.

Construction students at Darlington College secured the top places in the regional heats of the annual SkillBuild competition for bricklaying and joinery. The success follows impressive performances in the Guild of Bricklay­ ers’ competition earlier this year, and students could find themselves competing again in the national finals and world skills event due to be staged in Rio in 2014.

The events are designed to test the skills and discipline of the latest generation of CITB brickwork and joinery apprentices. They are pitted against competitors from across the North­East and the clock after being set a series of skills tests in their chosen field. Judges assess quality of workmanship, accuracy and appearance against a set of fine tolerances.

Darlington College students apprentices included: Jacob Toomey, 21, of Ferry Hill, who works for Shaw Construction and won the Guild of Bricklayer’s junior contest; Sam Heys, 19, of Mickleton, who works for Peter Fisher, who won the SkillBuild bricklayer competition; Thomas Tenant, 20, of Richmond, who works for Randall Orchard, who was first in the SkillBuild joinery; Ryan Wilbor, 19, of Northallerton, who works for Cliff Dove Services, who came first in his SkillBuild competition; Steven Peart, 19, of Middleton­in Teesdale, who works for H&M Construction and won the Guild of Bricklayers senior contest; and Scott Watson, 19, of Northallerton, who works for Walter Thompson and came third in the senior SkillBuild competition.

The college has had previous winners in the Guild of Bricklayers under the guidance of Malcolm Jones, these were in 1990 (Paul Moody) and 1995 (Adrian Helmsley and Jamie Claminson).

Ryan said: “I’m really pleased to have done well at SkillBuild. It’s a compliment just to have been nominated to compete, so to go on to win makes me feel great. It shows that I’m one of the best young trades­people in the area, which I think is definitely something I can be proud of.”

The regional heat, which took place in Durham, was one of 15 staged around the UK. The highest scoring competitors will be given the opportunity to compete at the three day SkillBuild UK final later this year. SkillBuild is an annual event which is managed by CITB, the Sector Skills Council and Industry Training Board for the construction industry and supported by local employers as well as national sponsors.

CITB apprenticeship officer Allison Morris said: “The students worked very hard on the day and were a credit to themselves, their companies and Darlington College.”

Bricklaying tutor Andy Roscamp added: “We need more apprentices or there will be a skills shortage in years to come. Construction really is a worthwhile and rewarding occupation for young people to consider.”

For more information on Darlington College courses, contact (01325) 503030 or log on to www.darlington.ac.uk.

Building their futures, Darlington College apprentices celebrate success, front row, L­R, Jacob Toomey, Sam Heys, Thomas Tenant, back row, Ryan Wilbor, Steven Peart, and Scott Watson.

4 Student Business Challenge July 2013

Year 7 and 9 students from Hurworth School enjoyed a creative business challenge and had a “quacking time”.

The Duck Day challenge encouraged students to use their employability skills, where teams of 8 competed against each other to create the most profitable business. Teamwork and communication skills were the order of the day and prices were enthusiastically negotiated at the Duck Exchange. The newly formed Bank of Hurworth currency notes were fanatically traded by enthusiastic students.

Jenna Sperring said “ It was great to work with friends, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed competing against other teams. We learnt about business and tried to get the highest prices for our ducks. We had to be organised and everyone needed to know what their role was and to make sure they did their bit.”

English Schools’ Track and Field Championships

Hummersknott Academy was proud that two of their students, Josh McLay, 14, and Lucy­Erin Hunter, 12, took part in the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships in Birmingham at the beginning of July.

Josh is the Durham County long jump champion and Lucy­Erin is the Durham County Champion and North Eastern Counties 800m title holder.

The ESAA National Championships is the fourth largest athletics event in the world and are televised by Sky Sports.

Stewart Souter said “Both Josh and Lucy­Erin have worked extremely hard to get to the English Schools’ finals in Birmingham. Lucy­Erin deserves special mention as she is only in year 8 and the upper age limit is year 9. I would like to wish them every success for their trip to Birmingham and their future athletic careers.”

5 The Education Village Academy Helps Students Achieve Their Dreams

As part of Careers Education within the Education Village Academy Trust, all Year 8, Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 students have the opportunity to visit various careers events held at local colleges, universities, employers and event venues.

Here at the Education Village Academy we feel that raising aspirations is very important to all of our students. Over the last few years our Year 8 students have had the exciting opportunity to visit local universities such as Teesside, Durham, Newcastle and Northumbria. The aims of the visits are to give students a feel for the Post­ 16 environment, through a campus tour and interesting workshops. Students also gain an insight into teaching and learning styles at Key Stage 5 and as a result are better prepared for transition. Every student attends two workshops in a chosen faculty area to ensure both engagement and an understanding of what they need to achieve to reach their goals.

We encourage our students to attend different visits to a variety of Further Education establishments to ensure they are focused on a successful career at an early stage. We then continue to build upon this good practice with a range of interventions throughout the subsequent years to ensure students remain focussed on the achievements. We have found that this further prepares them for their future and making the right career choice.

In addition to our extensive range of trips and visits, links with local employers are actively encouraged. Last year Cummins mentored some of our Year 10 and 11 engineering students and also supported selected students with valuable work experience.

As a result of the academy’s investment into this opportunity our NEETs have reduced significantly making students from the Education Village Academy some of the most likely to stay in employment or further education once they leave.

Longfield Celebrates 100% Attendance

Longfield Academy of Sport is celebrating a high number of pupils achieving 100% attendance. This is especially the case for one pupil Samantha Harris as she has achieved 100% attendance for all of her 5 years at Longfield. However, her achievement is even more outstanding when you take into account the fact that she never had a day off in primary school. This is a total of 12 years schooling without a day off.

Samantha comes from a family who have an unbelievable attendance record. Samantha’s brother Adam who attended Longfield also achieved the same fantastic record of 100% attendance throughout his school career.

Longfield congratulates Samantha and all of the other 60 pupils who achieved 100% attendance over the last academic year.

6 ‘Building My Skills’

Haughton Academy is very pleased to have gained a place on the ‘Building My Skills’ programme. We recognise the importance of providing our young people with clear insights into the world of work and developing the personal attributes needed by employers to sit alongside their qualifications, and believe this programme will assist greatly towards this goal. Whilst we strive to develop the characteristics of resilience, commitment, punctuality, team­work, reasoning, resourcefulness, creativity and communication throughout their school experience, it is fabulous that students have access to adults other than teachers, from a variety of business sectors, to gain a real understanding of the opportunities that exist for them and the specific attributes they will need to possess to be successful in these sectors.

‘Building My Skills’ is facilitated by ESH Group and sees employers from eighteen business organisations (currently) working with eleven schools across the North East, showcasing employability skills in fun, interactive sessions throughout the academic year, culminating in realistic job interview opportunities for the best performing students. The programme is underway with all year ten students from Haughton Academy having already received an introductory presentation from ESH Group and a session on the hotel and hospital­ ity sector delivered by a manager from Hotel Indigo. There will be a further five sessions running through to April 2014, at which point qualifying students will be selected for interviews in June. Every student taking part will compile a personal file documenting their progress as they each tackle a number of critical ‘checkpoints’ throughout the programme.

‘Building My Skills’ is provided at no cost to the school or Local Authority, relying wholly on the involvement of the volunteering business organisations, many of which are well known local, national and international names:

• ESH Group • Muckle

• Ryder • ARUP

• Gardiner Richardson • NUFC

• Hotel Indigo • SAFC

• Northumbria University • Blue Roo

• Barclays • Turner & Townsend

• NatWest • NHS

• Lloyds • Tilley, Bailey and Irvine

• Swinburne Maddison • Jewson

ESH Group, Hotel Indigo, NatWest, Muckle, NUFC and NHS will be working with Haughton Academy during the year and we are very grateful for their commitment to the future of our students.

7 Maths Champions

Four year 9 students from Hummersknott Academy are celebrating their success in a maths competition.

The students, Tom Freary, Max Tweddle, Daniel Hodgson and Michael Wishart represented the Academy at the annual Maths Challenge organised by Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, competing against other secondary schools from the town.

The Academy has a history of success in the competition and Mark Grainger, Maths Teacher, was delighted that the boys continued the winning ways. He said “I was really proud of how well the boys represented the Academy and their performance is indicative of the high number of gifted mathematicians we have at Hummersknott.”

The competition consists of five rounds which test different mathematical skills ranging from the Maths with Music round, the Mathematical Problem Solving round to the Shape and Space round, as well as testing their ability to work as a team.

Foundation for Jobs

Foundation for Jobs has a busy term ahead with a number of activities for school and college age pupils in Darlington. It follows a busy summer where the campaign worked with the Skills4Me programme and busi­ nesses in the town to provide visits for pupils who had completed their GCSEs but were unsure about their next step. They spent time at Rockliffe Hall, Sherwoods car dealership and Student Loans learning about what careers in these industry sectors involve.

Since the start of the new academic year we are supporting construction firm The Esh Group on projects in two Darlington schools, The Education Village and Darlington School of Maths and Science, where the firm will work with year 10 and 11 pupils building their employability skills.

We were heavily involved in the planning and running of an event with SEMTA at Nissan on September 25th to which every secondary school in the North­East was invited to send a teacher. Run by the North­East Skills Alliance of engineering companies, the day aimed to give teachers a better understanding of the opportunities for their pupils in engineering.

This year’s Low Carbon Engineering Event will take place at Faverdale on October 11th with all Darlington secondary schools invited. Activities include electric vehicle battery making, wind farm planning, computer aided design, constructing mini wind turbines and building a solar powered car.

The Institution of Civil Engineers Bridge (ICE) has been booked in at Darlington College from November 4th to 15th and all secondary schools will again be invited to send groups to a morning or afternoon session.

The new Foundation for Jobs website is now up and running at www.foundationforjobs.co.uk providing details of events, opportunities and guidance.

8 Top Students

Students at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have achieved incredibly good A level results. With an overall pass rate of 99% and 50% of the grades being A*, A or B, the College has much to celebrate and be proud of. A levels are the gold standard of qualifications and open up a myriad of opportunities to students, whether it is moving into the world of work or on to university. Increasingly, students are gaining higher level apprentice­ ships on the strength of their A levels and Rebecca Aiken has done just this.

Becca has just completed her A levels in Psychology, Maths and Geology at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College and has secured her ‘dream’ apprenticeship at the Head Office of EE (Everything Everywhere) in Darlington.

QE’s Careers Adviser, Cathy Hodgson, takes up the story:

‘Whilst studying at College, Becca worked part time at Morrisons supermarket which gave her a sense of purpose and an aspiration to join the world of work after A levels. She started applying for apprenticeships using the National Apprentice­ ship Website and had a number of interviews which led to her securing this fantas­ tic opportunity in the Human Resources and Business Department at EE. The re­ cruitment process was rigorous and Becca is delighted that EE are welcoming her to their team and is very much looking forward to a fulfilling career in the future. Becca will now work towards higher level work based qualifications that will add to her portfolio of qualifications.

Becca adds: ‘This is a dream come true. The apprenticeship path is right for me and I was supported all the way by the ca­ reers staff and teachers at QE. I can’t wait to start in September.’

EE is a long established company in Darlington and they are now listed as one of The Times Newspaper’s Top 25 Big Companies to work for.

A high number of Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College’s students got some of the top A level marks in the coun­ try ­ 89 individuals gained 135 A*s between them including Dominic Birch from Long Newton who was awarded 5 straight A*s and Michael Jones from Sedgefield who attained 4 A*s.

Dominic’s 5 A*s were in English Literature, History, Maths, Further Maths and Extended Project whilst Mi­ chael’s 4 A*s were for Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths. Dominic will now go to Durham Univer­ sity to study History and English whilst Michael will read Engineering at Cambridge University.

Principal, Tim Fisher, says: ‘Our students and staff are to be congratulated on their well­deserved success in this year’s A level examinations. Our overall results are tremendous and, to have so many students attaining the highest grade is a magnificent achievement that reflects the drive and deter­ mination of very talented young people. Dominic and Michael’s results are absolutely outstanding and they have much to look forward to in the future.’

9 Building an Educational Legacy on the inspiration of London 2012

26th June 2013 saw the launch of an Olympic inspired Programme at Longfield Academy of Sport. The Be the Best you can Be! Programme enables pupils to discover and develop the unique potential within themselves and inspires, engages and empowers them to pursue and fulfill their dreams. This unique Programme has been developed as an Educational Legacy going beyond sport and far beyond the inspiration of London 2012 to in­ spire the youth of Britain and the rest of the world.

Dr David Hemery CBE, Olympic Gold Medalist and former World Record Holder (400m Hurdles, Mexico 1968), founder of 21st Century Legacy says “everyone has a spark of greatness within them and through a combination of dreams and practical application they can achieve their potential, as long as they positively set their mind to it, believe in themselves and are prepared to work hard.”

The Be the Best you can Be! Programme includes an exciting launch, where an inspirational speaker, an Olympian, shares their story of how success is a journey with the need to overcome inevitable setbacks. Longfield is pleased to welcome Chris Cook, Olympic Swimmer who will start the school launch and bring the ‘achievement of dreams’ in to the curriculum. The launch is followed by further themes designed to help young people discover the skills they need to follow their dreams and to begin their own successful journey. The Programme concludes with a celebration where all the young people and staff share what they have learnt and support each other in pursuing their dreams and goals or set new ones.

By completing the Programme, pupils at Longfield will raise their self­confidence and self­esteem and benefit from higher aspirations, and a clearer path to how they can realise their dreams.

Mrs Johnson, Headteacher at Longfield said “I was determined that our school would be one of the schools to undertake the Be the Best you can Be! Programme as it begins to roll out nationally. The inspiration offered by Olympians and Paralympians who strive to achieve their dreams is incredibly powerful and can really reach out and engage our pupils. I am pleased to welcome Chris Cook to launch our Programme and my staff and I look forward to delivering this exciting and transformational Programme.”

Chemistry at Work

A group of 43 year 9s from Carmel College attended the Chemistry at Work event hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry at Teesside University. Students were introduced to our local industries and the different types of courses centred around science.

The students attended a range of workshops in which they were transformed into young scientists for a day. Activities included making ice cream in food science and taking finger and shoe prints in forensic science. In addition they all attended a lecture by Dr Geoffrey Bell where he performed a range of exciting, colourful and explosive chemical reactions to a thrilled audience and had them literally jumping out of their seats.

10 Summer Programme 2013

Throughout summer 2013, Darlington Borough Council’s Learning and Skills Service delivered a Summer Programme. The aim of the programme was to encourage young people who have recently finished school to progress into further education on completion of the programme. The programme was designed to be educational and fun and also to provide the opportunity for the learners to sample further education within their areas of interest and discover what opportunities were available to them.

Preparation for the six­week programme started in April when taster sessions were organised in a number of Darlington secondary schools. Learners were able to try out activities from each of the following vocational ar­ eas: Care, Construction, Customer Service and Motor Vehicle. The taster sessions were a great success with many learners registering an interest in the programme, and 32 learners participated in:

• Are You Being Served (Customer Service)

• DIY SOS (Construction)

• Road Runner (Motor Vehicle) and

• Who Cares? (Care)

In addition to taking part in practical vocational work, the learners also attended a number of visits to local companies including Rockcliffe Hall, Sherwoods, Student Loans, The Gardens Care Home, Rosemary Court and Kids and Co Nursery. DIY SOS learners helped build a summer house, raised planting beds and a sand pit for Dodmire Children’s Centre.

To celebrate the learners’ success in completing the programmes, trips were organised to Forbidden Corner and Teesside Karting.

Many of the learners have successfully progressed to Darlington College and DBC’s Elev8 programme as well as Site Carpentry and Motor Vehicle Diplomas.

For further information, please contact Chris Burney, Trainer / Assessor, DBC, (01325) 248021.

11 Maguires Carpets’ Apprentices

Darlington College apprentices are on a roll after securing training with one of the country’s leading carpet wholesalers.

Billy Wood, 19, of Newton Aycliffe and Daniel Ross, 21, of Bishop Auckland, are laying down foundations for a future career with flooring specialist Maguires, of Shildon.

The two trainees secured their positions through TCV Employment and Training Services, a leading provider of recruitment, training and job preparation, in partnership with the Darlington College business team, to deliver the college’s warehouse and storage apprenticeship scheme.

Maguires’ human resources manager Jo Lupton said:

“There is a large emphasis on apprenticeships across the country at the moment. I know how difficult it is for young people to get a job and feel that if they are willing to invest in themselves through an apprenticeship then we are willing to invest our time and training on them. Maguires has undergone a massive restructure over the past year and we have taken on a number of apprentices who we are looking to mould into our way of working.”

The company has recently invested over £750,000 in a second cutting machine giving them twice the capacity to cut carpets from 7am to 1am the following day, allowing them to operate 24 hours a day on the two machines.

“Both apprentices that came to us through Darlington College arrived with no preconceived ideas and have fitted in really well,” said Jo.

“On their first day they had to handball over 1,000 rolls of underlay, so they were really thrown in at the deep end, but they came back and are really committed. If they continue to progress and take on roles similar to our existing employees then we will move them off the apprenticeship wage and into a full­time role with salary and bonuses, so it offers a great opportunity for them to become part of the Maguires team. We have a great relationship with Darlington College and its staff. We understand how each other works and they are always quick to respond when we need to get in touch.”

Daniel added: “Maguire’s is a really good company and I’d love to get a full­time job here. Being an apprentice means that I can learn the skills I need while being paid and get my qualifications through Darlington College, whose tutors come here one day a week to do course work.”

Billy added: “I wanted to do something practical, a hands on manual job, and this apprenticeship is just what I was after. I get to earn while I learn and have the prospects of a full­time job and qualifications at the end of the scheme.”

12 Students Produce Stunning Results Again

This summer Carmel College celebrated outstanding ‘A’ level results with a staggering overall pass rate of 100% at A2 with 52% achieving the highest grades of A* to B. The average point score per candidate was an extraordinary 966, well above the national average, which places Carmel VI form as one of the highest performing colleges.

Students have now progressed to universities across the country, including 12 out of 24 of the prestigious Russell Group Universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield and St Andrew’s.

At GCSE, Carmel celebrated outstanding results with every student achieving 5 or more A* ­C grades and 90% including English and maths. Students’ performance in English and maths was exceptional with 97% A* to C in both English Language (49% with A*/A grades) and English Literature GCSEs and 91% in mathematics (39% with A*/A grades).

In the Vocational BTEC and National Award subjects, students had an excellent 100% pass rate, with 49% passing at Distinction or above.

Principal, Maura Regan said “We are delighted to celebrate the success of our students. Everyone has achieved and their results are a tribute to the hard work of all involved. The strength and depth of all the results has improved further this year and in the very competitive world in which we live, this is crucial for the future prospects for all our students. With a national downward trend we are delighted to be yet again one of the top performing schools in the country.”

A number of students achieved exceptional results, amongst them were Catherine Lavender and Margaret Hart who were each awarded 11 A* GCSE grades, Daniel Gibbs who was awarded 10 A* grades and Amelia Hughes who was awarded 2A* and 9A grades. Both Catherine and Daniel also achieved the highest possible grade in AS qualifications in Religious Studies which is a tremendous achievement at such an early age.

13 Careers Guidance

In September 2012 the responsibility for providing Careers Advice to 14­16 year olds passed from local authorities to schools. Following a national thematic review into careers guidance since the change, Ofsted have now published their report: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/news

Are you involved in careers guidance or supporting young people in making decisions about their options post­16? If so, why not have a look at the following websites which provide some useful resources:

National Apprenticeship IAG resources http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/Partners/IAG.aspx

National Careers Service – Young People Section https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/youngpeople/Pages/Youngpeople.aspx

Tees Valley Unlimited – Skills Portal https://www.teesvalleyunlimited.gov.uk/tees­valley­unlimited/information­hub/skills­portal.aspx

ESF Summer Programme to Next Steps

Ten year 11 learners who left Beaumont Hill College this summer enjoyed a fun­packed transition programme to support them as they worked towards joining the Next Steps course at Darlington College in September.

The course provided learners with the necessary knowledge and practical skills to be able to get to and from their home address to College and places in the Town Centre safely and independently. Learners developed their monetary skills and geographical awareness around the town, and they were able to identify safe places to go should they need support or find themselves in a vulnerable position when out alone. Communication skills and self­esteem were developed, as well as team work and peer engagement. Healthy eating options were explored and learners were encouraged to prepare for their next steps at College.

As well as using public transport to get out and about in Darlington and shopping for food items with a budget, the group enjoyed a treasure hunt around the landmarks of Darlington, a celebratory lunch at Daisies Café on Duke Street and a fantastic trip to Beamish.

As the course progressed, the confidence and self­esteem of the learners markedly improved and they were a delight to work with. All ten learners are now thriving at Darlington College and enjoying their Next Steps experience.

14 Heritage Schools Programme

Tim Crawshaw, Principal Officer (Environment, Urban Design and Sustainability) at Darlington Borough Council, has forged links with the 11 – 19 Partnership Curriculum Group to promote Darlington’s unique local history and heritage, particularly around the railway, the Head of Steam Museum and the Skerne ‘£5 note’ Bridge, through schools. A number of opportunities to work together on the programme have been identified:

• The Heritage Schools Programme, now underway, has already identified specific school clusters to work with, over a three­year period. Darlington is not part of this rollout but there may be opportunities for teachers to join in with any local CPD events in the North Yorkshire cluster and to share materials.

• A resource pack for teachers, based on emerging case studies could be prepared; to be a springboard for special themed curriculum based activities to weave local history and identity into the life of the school.

• A number of web­based resources are available and part of the CPD opportunity could be pointers to these to reduce the amount of research that teachers may need to undertake.

• Using case studies as a basis, a school cluster could be developed with an identified ‘heritage champion’ who could coordinate activities, trips and curriculum linked learning experiences based on local heritage.

• The preparatory work undertaken, CPD opportunities and heritage led activities could be used as the ba­ sis for a further bid for funding and support in later years of the Programme or successor schemes, of which Darlington could be a part.

• As the Programme develops further there may be support from English Heritage to help to develop simi­ lar activities in Darlington.

For further information, contact Tim Crawshaw ([email protected])

Next issue

The next issue of the 11­19 Practitioner Newsletter will be published in January 2014. If you have anything you would like to be featured in the next issue, please send text (and photos if you have them) to [email protected] by 12th December 2013.

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