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Harper Adams has welcomed 70 teenagers from across the West Midlands to its campus for a “Sustainability in Action” day.

Organised in conjunction with the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Education Business Partnership (EBP), the day brought together school pupils and college students with an interest in construction.

Welcoming the visitors to Harper Adams, General Estates Manager Paul Moran said: “I really want you to have some fun today, and get a taste for what life would be like if you chose to come to university; and I hope that you will learn something about sustainability. I also want you to become enthused about a career in construction. It’s very rewarding – you stand back at the end of the project and you can actually see something that’s physical and exists, that people use. These buildings may exist for more than 100 years so it’s an important legacy.”

Justine Ranson, Telford-based EBP Project Coordinator, said: “The idea behind the Sustainability in Action Day was that we would invite schools from across the West Midlands to come and look at the Harper Adams campus because it has extemporary examples of sustainable buildings. We’ve got students here who are aged from 12 to 18 and studying a variety of courses. Some are studying the new Construction and the Built Environment Diploma, some are doing the BTEC in construction and one group is working on the Building Schools for the Future programme. They are a focus group for the school and will consult with the architects building their new school and give them their ideas. Hopefully today will be food for thought for what their new school might be like.

“One of my key roles is to promote careers in construction and to open young people’s eyes up to the idea that construction is more than just laying bricks. On a day like today, they get the chance to see that there are a lot of possibilities and that construction offers them a bright future.”

During their tour of the campus near Newport in Shropshire, the students saw the new Student Services Centre, which is under construction and due to open this autumn, the Bamford Library, which has a host on environmentally friendly features, the West Midlands Regional Food Academy, Postgraduate Centre and the Biomass Hall, where heat and power is generated from fuels including wood chips and miscanthus crops.

Abbie Cartwright, 14, from Ercall Wood Technology College, Wellington, said: “I’ve really enjoyed today. It’s been really interesting, learning about how things work. We’ve been talking at school about making a garden that’s eco friendly. Schoolmate Sophie Martin, also 14, added: “We’d like to make things more eco-friendly around the school so it has been a good experience. It was also good to look around the university and see how it feels.

Birmingham Metropolitan College student James Horsfall, 15, added: “I’ve enjoyed today a lot; seeing how the buildings fit together, modern and old, is really good. My favourite building was the food academy; I thought it looked the best.”

The event went ahead thanks to support from ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for construction; the Midlands Architecture Centre and Shropshire Construction Training Group.

£100 prize – Charlotte Eggerton 9 T – History.

Yr 7
£25.00 – Anna Jessup 7 O – Maths.
£10.00 – Natasha Titley – RE.
£10.00 – Dudley Howes 7 O – German.
£10.00 – Jack Jefferson 7 R – English.

Yr 8
£25.00 – Joshua Bradshaw 8 Y – HOY.
£10.00 – Brad Jones 8 O – PE.
£10.00 – Jessica Cotterill 8 Y – Geog.
£10.00 – Kerrie Brown 8 P – D&T.

Yr 9
£25.00 – Devon Birnie 9 P – Maths.
£10.00 – Lewis James 9 T – D&T.
£10.00 – Steven Tarras 9 P – English.
£10.00 – Beth Edwards 9 P – History.

Yr 10
£25.00 – Steven Monk 10 G – Helping.
£10.00 – Leah Robinson 10 B – Maths.
£10.00 – Daniel Herbert 10 Y – Maths.
£10.00 – Maria Worrall 10 Y – Science.

A team of nineteen peer mentors have completed three half day training sessions, where we discussed and learnt how to remain non- judgemental in situations along with listening skills and some role play. Confidentiality and communication skills were also discussed during the sessions. Ercall Wood’s peer mentors will be on hand at the beginning of the academic year when they will be with the new year seven intake for the first two days, ensuring that they feel safe in their new surroundings and spending time over lunch and break time with them, should the year seven students feel they need such support. They will remain in contact with the new year sevens by visiting the children on a weekly basis in their form rooms, building friendships and helping to resolve any conflict should it arise.

A number of the peer mentors this year will be working closely alongside myself offering a structured one to one mentor / mentee relationship within the school. The main objectives of the scheme will be for the new students to settle in quickly, make good progress and achieve their full potential. A majority of the peer mentors are gifted and talented students who have been trained to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to support year seven students. The mentor will assist the mentee in settling into the schools teaching and learning structure, offer appropriate advice and guidance, help mentees manage time, set personal goals and support individuals who may lack confidence with aspects of school life. A careful selection of matching mentors to mentees takes place to ensure that students are motivated to do well. The one to one scheme for select individuals, will only commence after consent has been given from the year sevens parents/carers and will be in place for an agreed amount of time, this process will be reviewed on a regular basis and monitored under the close supervision of the peer mentor co-ordinator.

The one to one programme is an extension to the peer mentoring scheme that our school already has in place. We are excited to be able to offer this new project to our year seven students. Click onto some of this years Ercall Wood Peer mentors to see what they have to say.

Abbie Atif Chris Dan Lisa Shannon Mentors

 Ercall Wood is a self governing foundation school which allows us complete control of spending and decision making. As a Technology College we are funded for the provision of a technologically rich curriculum and as a Leading Edge school we take an active role in sharing good practice with other schools. Ercall Wood is an open access multi-cultural comprehensive school offering a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum.

 We want young people to leave us with a rich combination of knowledge, skills and confidence to continue their learning journey. Our curriculum considers the needs of the individual. In Year 7 pupils have lessons in a wide array of subject areas. These provide the experience and foundation for options in Key Stage 4. Our primary foreign language is German. We plan to deliver Spanish tasters to Year 7 and will continue to offer accreditation in other languages through external providers.

 Our Learning Support Departments has a proven track record of success for those pupils with special educational needs. All pupils are assessed shortly after starting at the school to ensure any needs are quickly identified. Gifted and Talented pupils are supported by our G&T coordinator and can access a variety of enrichment opportunities.

Extracurricular activities include a range of sporting disciplines, a film club, rock band, chess club, drama, dance and many more. Pupils attend a residential visit to Arthog in Year 7 to encourage bonding and teamwork. Other opportunities include trips abroad with the Languages department and visits with Science, Design and Technology and Humanities.

 As a Technology College we ensure pupils and staff have access to up to date electronic resources. We boast a high pupil to computer ratio and access to the latest developments in hardware and software. All teaching spaces have computer and projector facilities; with almost all having an interactive whiteboard.

 At Ercall Wood Technology College we are committed to creating an environment where all members of our community feel safe and respected. New students are supported in their transition to Key Stage 3 through a structured programme of visits in collaboration with feeder schools. Student welfare is a priority for the college. All pupils receive excellent pastoral care from a tutor and a skilled and supportive pastoral team. We have a peer mentoring system, thriving school council and strong anti-bullying policy.

 We know that effective learning takes place in a calm, studious environment where achievement and good behaviour are valued and celebrated. All pupils have the right to learn and consistent application of a clear and fair discipline policy ensures good progress is made. In 2009 we saw a 7% increase in our 5 A*-C (including English and Maths). In 2010 we predict an increase which will place our results at over 40% of pupils achieving 5 A*-C (including E&M).

 In June 2009 Ofsted found the school to be good in all areas.  The following observations encapsulate the healthy ethos of Ercall Wood:-

Students feel safe
Students make good progress
Students’ personal development and well-being are good
Students receive good quality care and guidance
Good teaching can be seen throughout all departments.
Students enjoy their lessons
Good relationships exist between students and with staff

 I would encourage all prospective parents and pupils to come and look around Ercall Wood to see firsthand what we can offer. Our Open Week is early in the autumn term. Please book a tour or drop in to our open evening. Our guiding statement is ‘Excellence through Challenge and Initiative’. We hope you will join us in a committed partnership that will see all our pupils enjoy their time at Ercall Wood.

 Chay Davis (Headteacher)

Dear Parents/ guardians,

I am writing to invite you to an evening presentation on INTERNET SAFETY. The presentation will take place at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 18th May at Ercall Wood Technology College.

At the College we take the safety of your child very seriously. When your child uses the internet it may not always be a safe experience. So we have brought together an evening which will demonstrate some of the dangers and pitfalls around internet use and maybe help you combat these dangers.

One of the speakers will be Rebecca Carey from Telford & Wrekin Council HOS team she will be showing you some of the hidden dangers of chat sites and social networking sites.

There will also be a demonstration of some FREE internet checking software which has been brokered by Telford & Wrekin Council and is free to all parents. The software can do many things such as; be programmed not to accept certain sites, block phrases and key words.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at the College.

Please click here to download reply slip.

Ercall Wood Technology College students have been working with architect Alison Davies and art teacher Jackie Sneade on design options for the memorial garden in their college grounds, in a project funded by CABE and supported by MADE, the Midlands architecture centre. Having visited sacred sites in Birmingham for research and inspiration, the students have drawn up a new plan for the space, with swirling paths, a mosaic pond, a new entrance, seating and new planting. But how much will all this cost?

With Rick Tyrer, a quantity surveyor with Cyril Orchard Group Management, the students used a measuring wheel to find out how much path edging they needed (75 m) and back in the art studio used the scale drawing to work out the measurements of other features. There are 350 m2 of pathways, they will need enough grass seed to cover 250 m2, and benches were 1.5m long.

Rick gave his time for free to guide the students through working out quantities. And with the internet as a source of unit prices for different material options, the students weighed up durability, appearance and cost, before coming up with an outline budget. While many costs were less than expected, the students were shocked the pond would cost more than £3000.

The idea to transform the under-used memorial garden emerged from an earlier design project by this group of students. While developing a brief and design options for the College’s wildlife garden, the young people identified their need for a quiet, calm space within the busy school environment. Through the enthusiasm of teachers and students, both projects ideas being taking forward in phases over the coming months.

All Credits to Jane Puzey of MADE (Midlands Architecture and the Built Environment).
www.made.org.uk/engaging-communities/designing-a-new-sacred-space-in-telford.html

News Update 4th May 2010
www.engagingplaces.org.uk/news/art77269

• Options 2010 Booklet
• Options 2010 Provisional Choices