A charity which supports individuals living with lifelong mental health conditions and learning disabilities has partnered up with a local primary school to help transform part of its playing field into a forest school.

Blyth Star Enterprises, which provides living support and day services that replicate real working environments to over 350 people living across Northumberland, has been working with NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School in Ashington to help bring their vision for a state-of-the-art forest school to life.

Popular across the country as a means of encouraging pupils to learn personal, social and technical skills by engaging with the natural world, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, forest schools have also become important tools in the promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing through time spent in the great outdoors.

Working alongside staff and pupils to ensure that as many of their ideas were captured in the final design as possible, service users and support staff from Blyth Star Enterprises’ woodwork department set to work building a series of outdoor workstations, wooden benches, mud kitchens complete with secret fairy doors and a fire pit area for the forest school.

In total, the build took four weeks to complete off-site, with the groundwork and installation taking place over four days within the school holidays.

This is the second forest school that Blyth Star Enterprises has created for schools within NCEA Trust, having supported NCEA Warkworth C of E Primary School with the construction of its new forest school site last summer after vandals destroyed the original site during lockdown.

Kevin Alexander, Supervisor at Blyth Star Enterprises’ woodwork department, said:

“We were delighted to be invited by NCEA Trust to create another forest school for one of its primary schools. It’s really beneficial for our service users to work on projects which take them out into the community where they can see the positive impact of their hard work – it’s good for their morale and their own mental health.

“The staff and pupils at Thomas Bewick Primary were an absolute joy to work with and it was brilliant to see the children’s faces when they saw the finished forest school for the first time. We hope that they will enjoy the site for years to come.”

When asked what they thought of the new forest school, pupils at NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School, commented:

“I think it’s really cool because there is so much new stuff on the field which we can use now. It’s not just an empty area anymore; we will be able to have really interesting lessons using the outdoors,” said Meredith, Year 4.

“It seems like it could be a nice place to relax now! The team have worked really well and we should appreciate it that they’ve given us such a special place to use!” said Logan, Year 4.

“It’s really good because it will be good to use for fun activities. It’s really nice to have a space to learn outside. I am excited to see the onions, beetroot and the carrots grow too!” said Perry, Year 6.

“I think I am most excited about the fire pit where we could safely do some really interesting learning. I think when all of the new trees and wildflowers have grown it’ll look really beautiful. It will be good for the younger children to learn more consistently outside as we’ll be using it every week,” said Amber, Year 6.

Jess Williamson, Headteacher at NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School, added:

“From the day that pupils start school in our nursery provision, we promote outdoor education as a crucial part of our primary curriculum so that they grow up aware of the natural world around them and the benefits associated with spending time outdoors.

“We are fortunate at Thomas Bewick to have such a big school field, but that was all it was – empty space! The creation of a dedicated forest school area is a real win for the school and we really can’t thank Kevin and the team at Blyth Star Enterprises enough for their hard work in making it all possible.”

For more information about Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School, visit www.thomasbewick.ncea.org.uk or to find out more about Blyth Star Enterprises or commissioning a woodwork or gardening project, visit www.blythstar.org.uk.

A primary school in Ashington has partnered with conservation experts from a local diving centre to help clean up one of South East Northumberland’s most popular beaches in the aftermath of the school holidays.

Pupils from Bishop’s Primary School, which operates as part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust (NCEAT), teamed up with Blyth-based, The Fifth Point Diving Centre, to carry out the two half-day beach cleans.

As part of the experience, pupils also enjoyed a series of workshops where they learned more about how litter that finds its way into our oceans from our beaches can harm marine animals and people can do to help stop it.

The project forms part of a Trust-wide initiative to help NCEAT to reduce its carbon footprint.

Inspired by last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Trust’s CEO, Alan Hardie, set pupils a challenge in the form of a competition to come up with an idea for an ‘eco project’ which their school could complete independently to supplement the work already being done by the Trust to operate more sustainably and contribute towards its overarching corporate social responsibility goals.

The beach cleaning project for Bishop’s Primary School was the winning idea suggested by Year 5 pupil, Khloe Hunstone, who received a special award from the CEO for her conscientious approach to a topical issue impacting our local area.

Clare Marriott, Headteacher at Bishop’s Primary School, commented:

“We are very proud of the work our children and staff do in school to address environmental issues and the part they can play in reducing our carbon footprint.

“The children responded with great enthusiasm to the challenge set by Mr. Hardie and we had a wide range of ideas. The beach is close by and used by our community, so this was a fitting winner. It is also something we can continue to do regularly to sustain our efforts. Well done Khloe and the Year 5 beach cleaners!”

Over the course of the two days, 45 buckets of litter, which equated to 12 large bags, as well as two broken lobster pots, some fencing and some concrete blocks were collected and removed from the beach by pupils with support from teaching staff and the team from The Fifth Point.

Nic Emery, Co-Founder at The Fifth Point, commented:

“Young people are increasingly concerned with issues like climate change and the state of the oceans. The Year 5 pupils at Bishop’s Primary already knew so much about the impact of litter on animals. They had lots of stories to share about the things they do at home to try and reduce the amount of single use plastic they use and many were already regular beach cleaners.

“We were so happy to be able to help them learn more but most importantly take action and do something that is directly helping their local ocean and all the marine life that live there.”

Other projects currently underway by schools within the multi-academy trust as part of NCEAT’s green initiative include the expansion and redevelopment of the vegetable garden at NCEA Warkworth C of E Primary School to supplement the school kitchen, the creation of a wild flower garden and wildlife habitat on the grounds of Duke’s Secondary School, also in Ashington, and exploration into renewable energy sources as a means of powering part of the campus at William Leech C of E Primary School in Lynemouth.

Alan Hardie, CEO at Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, added:

“We were blown away by some of the competition entries we received. The level of thought that the children had put into their ideas and their consideration of both the long and short term benefits of their proposed projects was really impressive.

“We’re delighted with the diversity of the winning projects as a collective and can’t thank the businesses who have come on board to support our schools with their implementation enough for their time and expertise. We hope that the children will learn a great deal about the importance of protecting our natural world through their experiences.”

For more information about Bishop’s Primary School, visit www.bishops.ncea.org.uk or to learn more about The Fifth Point Diving Centre, visit https://fifthpointdiving.com/.

Pupils at a secondary school in Northumberland have been gaining valuable insight into what goes on behind the scenes at some of our region’s biggest employers as part of an ‘Industry Insight’ event.

The Year 11 and 12 students from Duke’s Secondary School in Ashington visited employers such as AkzoNobel, Bernicia, ORE Catapult, Northumberland Fire and Rescue and the Centre for Life to help them broaden their understanding of the wide range of career paths available to them in the local area.

The event comes just months after the school, which operates as part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, announced its pilot programme with North East house builder, Bellway, which also has its roots in helping pupils to raise their aspirations and explore career opportunities in sectors they might not otherwise have considered.

Danielle Towers, Head of Sixth Form and Careers at Duke’s Secondary School, explained:

“The pupils of today are the workforce of tomorrow, so it’s absolutely vital that while children and young people are still at school that they have the opportunity to explore as many different employment opportunities as possible, to help them make informed decisions about their futures.

“As part of the Industry Insight event, all of our Year 11 pupils had the opportunity to visit an employer which specialises in a subject area which was relevant to their current studies ahead of their exams in the summer.

“We were incredibly fortunate to gain support from so many fantastic local businesses so a big thank you goes out to everyone who got involved. The pupils all thoroughly enjoyed their experiences and took a lot away from them.”

Amongst the list of employers who took part in hosting visits for the event was not-for-profit organisation, Smart Works Newcastle.

An exclusive service for women, Smart Works Newcastle is a local branch of a national organisation which supports unemployed women aged 16 plus and from all backgrounds to build their confidence and skills to help them secure work.

Offering a range of services for those attending job interviews, including a high quality interview outfit (free and theirs to keep) and interview coaching, the charity also supports with CV writing and general careers advice. Smart Works Newcastle has supported hundreds and hundreds of women across the North East into successful employment.

A cohort of Year 11 and 12 students who had expressed an interest in careers that involved helping others took part in a full day’s work experience at Smart Works’ headquarters in Newcastle, supporting staff and volunteers with tasks such as stock taking, styling and dressing mannequins.

As part of the day, the students also got to participate in some career coaching and enjoyed a ‘working lunch’ with employees from the charity who shared their own experiences and varying routes into working in the sector.

Helen Boyd, Centre Manager at Smart Works Newcastle, commented:

“It was a pleasure to welcome the group from Duke’s Secondary School into Smart Works Newcastle for a Volunteer Experience day.

“The students helped us with stock sorting, visual merchandising, displays and mock client dressing. Throughout the day the students had a 1:1 next steps planning session with our experienced coaches to offer guidance for their career choices. It was great to hear their plans for the future and we hope they got as much out of the day as we did.”

For more information about Duke’s Secondary School and Sixth Form, visit www.dukes.ncea.org.uk or to find out more about Smart Works Newcastle, visit https://newcastle.smartworks.org.uk/.

Staff at NCEA Duke’s Secondary School recently spoke to Culture Bridge North East to tell them all about the Duke’s ‘DNA’ (Differentiated for support and challenge; New and exciting learning opportunities; Active Learning) Creativity Symbols project.

DNA is embedded throughout school life at Duke’s – it’s in the curriculum, teaching & learning, and CPD structures and creativity plays a central role in this. Check out the fabulous case study the Culture Bridge North East team put together about the project below.

A primary school in South East Northumberland has taken its first steps towards becoming a certified ‘Eco School’ after receiving the FairAware Award from the Fairtrade Foundation.

James Knott C of E Primary School in Ashington, which operates as part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, achieved the award in recognition of the efforts its pupils and staff have made to become more environmentally aware and conscious of the positive impact of using Fairtrade products.

Driven by the school’s ‘Eco Warriors’ group, pupils took part in a special assembly during the national ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’ event held earlier this month to introduce the topic of Fairtrade – what it is and why schools should support it. Staff and pupils then participated in a series of audits to assess what Fairtrade products were already in use within the school, how Fairtrade was included in the teaching curriculum and what level of understanding the children had about Fairtrade.

The data was then submitted to the Fairtrade Foundation for analysis which resulted in the school receiving its FairAware Award.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have achieved the FairAware Award. The Award is the culmination of a huge amount of work to help us take the first positive step towards becoming a fully-fledged Eco School,” said Claire Donnelly, Class Teacher at James Knott C of E Primary School.

“The enthusiasm shown by our staff and pupils throughout the project has been incredible. Our Eco Warriors – a group of pupils from Years 5 and 6 have been fundamental to the success of the project having given up their break times and even stayed late after school to help compile the audit results and complete the online application forms.

“Looking to the future, we hope to achieve our second Fairtrade Foundation accredited award – the FairActive Award, by Christmas 2022 and to grow our eco community in school even further by electing a Fairtrade ambassador for each form class. The ambassadors will be responsible for suggesting ideas how we can improve our Fairtrade status, such as switching to Fairtrade tea and coffee in the staff room and stocking Fairtrade produce as part of our annual Market Stall day.”

Alan Hardie, CEO at Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, added:

“At NCEAT, we are passionate about encouraging our pupils to become conscientious global citizens, tuned in to the wider impact that they can have on the world around them through small actions taken in their own lives.

“I’d like to congratulate all of the pupils and staff at James Knott C of E Primary School on their FairAware Award and wish them every success with the continuation of the project.”

For more information about the Fairtrade Foundation awards for schools, visit https://schools.fairtrade.org.uk/fairtrade-schools-awards.

On behalf of all of the staff and pupils across NCEAT, we would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to our Ukraine appeal – the response from our communities has been incredible!

Due to the sheer volume of donations we’ve received, we’ve decided to pause the campaign for now to allow deliveries to Ukraine to catch up, therefore the closing date for donations at all NCEA school collection hubs is now tomorrow (11/03/22).

Please don’t bring any items into school after this date as we cannot guarantee collection. You’re all amazing! #WeStandWithUkraine

What else can we do to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine?

Charities and other forces on the ground in Ukraine are now advising that the best way to support those affected by the conflict in Ukraine is through monetary donations. The main national campaign is being organised through the Disasters Emergency Committee – it is quick and easy to donate to the cause via their website, visit https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal.

With fantastically talented women accounting for over 80% of our staff at Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust (NCEAT), we celebrate women’s achievements every day, but as it’s International Women’s Day, it gives us an excuse to shout about it!

#BreakTheBias

The campaign theme this year for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. Across the business world, there are many industries where women are continually overlooked for promotions and are paid significantly less for doing the same job as their male colleagues.

Through the #BreakTheBias campaign, the International Women’s Day movement hopes to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against bias and encourage everyone, everywhere to take action for equality.

Imagine a gender equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together we can forge women’s equality.
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Equality in Education

While the teaching profession is heavily favoured by women, beyond a certain seniority level, even in the education sector there is evidence of inequality.

In a study carried out in 2021 by Dods D&I – a UK-based provider of educational events centred around the evolving landscape of diversity and inclusion, it stated: “In schools, the teaching profession is overwhelmingly female, and yet male teachers are almost twice as likely to hold leadership positions as their female colleagues.”

The report goes on to explore the reasons behind this disparity in schools in both rate of progression between male and female educators, and the gender pay gap, citing maternity care and related bias as one of the key contributing factors.

Championing equality at NCEAT

At NCEAT, we are fortunate to have so many incredibly talented women on our payroll. Across the Trust, 7/8 of our school leaders are women. Within our Central Services team too, the majority of our heads of key operational departments, including Finance, HR and Marketing are female.

As an employer, we champion equality at every opportunity and see it as our privilege to lead by example to educate the children and young people in our care about diversity and inclusion. Through our connection with the Dioceses of Newcastle and County Durham, as well as our resident Chaplain, our staff and pupils are encouraged to reach their full potential in regard to their academic, physical, moral and spiritual development.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked some of the inspiring principals, teachers and heads of department from across the Trust to share their thoughts on what it means to them to be a woman in education/business. Here’s what they had to say…

Dawn Watson, Assessment and Accreditation Lead at Castle School:
“I have often heard it said that if you are able to play the piano, or happen to be a man, then you will easily get a job in a school and go far in the education sector. I have neither the musical dexterity nor the human anatomy to fit in either of those categories however my career choice has long since ceased and I am living my calling. I never know what joys and challenges each day will bring and as a teacher and leader it’s a balancing act living between comfort and risk, but as John Ortberg said: ‘if you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat’.”

Alison Alden, Director of Finance and Central Services at NCEA Trust:
“I found this quote by Joanne Clancy a while ago and it really resonated with me: ‘Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says “Oh no, she’s up”.’

“That’s the kind of woman I want to be and the kind of person – male or female – that I want all of our pupils to be. Sadly, the reality is that we still live in a world where gender can limit your ambition and your progress. Changing that is on us all.”

Melanie Hinson, Primary Executive Headteacher at NCEA Trust:
“My favourite book when I was growing up was Little Women, I just loved the passion and determination of the sisters. Each had their own ambitions, but I was particularly inspired by Jo who strived against the odds to follow her dream of becoming a writer. My dream was to become a teacher and ultimately a Headteacher and I was fortunate to be surrounded by family and friends who were supportive of my passion.

“Part of my role is leading a team of strong female Headteachers all of whom juggle many roles within their lives, they are daughters, mothers, partners, friends as well as capable and compassionate school leaders.

“During challenging times, our team is strengthened by the support we give each other. We all share the responsibility to nurture the next generation of women to encourage them to believe in themselves and make the most of any opportunities which may arise. We want them to see that every possibility is open to them, aim for the top and ultimately lead happy and fulfilled lives.”

Gillian Robinson, Teacher at Castle School:
“I am proud to say that at NCEA trust we focus on great teachers, inspirational leaders and the potential of each individual regardless of demographic. This has helped me to see no limits in what is possible in my career development as a woman.

“I want to support others to see their possibilities, and demonstrate strong leadership in order to inspire others regardless of my gender.”

Amy Thompson, Headteacher at William Leech C of E Primary School:
“I’m very proud to lead one of our Campuses at Bishop’s Primary School and see the transformation that education can provide for children and their community. In my role I get to work alongside other leaders, both male and female, within the Trust and from other agencies who inspire and support me. Leading a team which makes a difference to children’s lives and their understanding of the world around them is a huge privilege and it’s wonderful when pupils come back to visit to share what they’re doing now thanks to something that we put in place at our Campus.”

Louise Gatti, Subject Lead Art and Design at Duke’s Secondary School:
“To me, to be a woman in education is to have drive, enthusiasm and high levels of commitment. To be able to raise levels of attainment and achievement with all learners and have a dynamic approach to teaching and learning where my lessons are both challenging and fun. To use contemporary practices and artists to inspire learners in the world they live in now; where both men and women can be successful by sharing light and being positive and kind.”

Clare Marriott, Headteacher at Bishop’s Primary School:
“I have always been proud to be a teacher and enjoy my role as Headteacher, but it is not my qualifications, strength or tenacity that get me through a day, a week, a term, it is the people around me.

“Each and every one of us has qualities and characteristics that we can share. In turn those qualities make up the team and by leading that team I am able to benefit from them all.

“I spin many plates in my day to day life; family friends, staff, children, parents, community. I often think I am going to run out of energy to keep it all going, but with a team around me, I get up and carry on, I have the drive to do my best and I am reminded every day why I chose this profession – to inspire others to learn, to enjoy learning and all it provides.

“As Charlie Mackesy says: ‘Sometimes just getting up and carrying on is brave and magnificent’. I believe everyone working in education is brave and magnificent.”