oneit, Author at Rosebrook Primary School - Page 3 of 4

A group of staff from schools across Teesside and County Durham have been recognised for their commitment and long service.

The 64 staff members have accumulated over 1000 years between them and work for Ad Astra Academy Trust which has ten primary schools under its umbrella.

The awards were presented at the Trust’s recent annual Festival of Education at Teesside University which was attended by over 350 school staff, educationalists and the Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham.

Speaking at the event, Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, said: “Our employees are our most valuable resource, and this initiative reflects the Trust’s desire to recognise long service, and to thank staff for their continued support, commitment and loyalty to the Trust.

“Service milestones are achieved at five-year intervals following ten years’ service. As many employees have transferred into the Trust all continuous service is counted.

“To each of these employees, I just want to simply say thank you for all you do.”

Each employee will receive a badge, certificate and letter. The badge contains the number of years worked.

Martyn Ingram, the Trust’s Human Resources Manager added: “Our staff are central to everything we do, and it is important that we recognise their hard work and commitment.

“The 64 staff members receiving awards accumulated 1075 years’ service between them. This is a significant achievement and deserves to be recognised in this way.”

The ten primary schools within Ad Astra are Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees, Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in County Durham.

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last nine years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,500 pupils and over 500 employees.

A Stockton-on-Tees primary school is celebrating after receiving national recognition for its commitment to nature and protecting the environment.

Rosebrook Primary School is the only school in the North-East to achieve Outstanding Beacon School status from The Tree Council for its ‘Rooted in Nature’ project.

The Tree Council is a national body that brings everyone together with a shared mission to care for trees and the planet’s future.

There are over 5000 schools working with The Tree Council and Rosebrook is one of only 10 schools throughout the country to be judged an Outstanding Beacon School.

Lois Huntington, who has led on the initiative at Rosebrook Primary School, said: “We have been developing our ‘Rooted in Nature’ programme at Rosebrook for a number of years now and to be awarded Outstanding Beacon School status is testament to the hard work and commitment from pupils, staff and everyone else associated with the project.

“Every child in the school is encouraged to develop their connection with the natural world through our Forest School initiative. We recently took part in the National ‘Big Green Week’ with classes learning about a range of topics from litter, plastic pollution, climate change through to composting, trees, bees and pollinators and during Careers Week we had visits from people working in the environmental sector.”

Three of the school’s Junior Tree Ambassadors along with their parents travelled to Cardiff recently to accept the award on behalf of the school.

Lois Huntington continued: ““Across the school we have a wide range of projects where the focus is on trees and nature – many of which involve outdoor learning – which link to the curriculum.”

Other school initiatives include:

Junior Tree Ambassadors who speak up for nature
Building a ‘bug resort’ to increase the range of habitats
Participating in Stockton Council’s Youth Climate Action group
Appointing Eco-Warriors to ensure the playground is litter free
Planting trees at Preston Park
Participating in the Tree Council’s ‘Speaking up for Nature’ competition
Developing a school orchard to harvest fruit which can be shared
naming all school classes after trees

Rosebrook is one of ten primary schools across Teesside and County Durham under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra, commented: “This is a significant achievement, and I would like to thank everyone connected with the project for their commitment and tireless efforts.

“The world is facing significant environmental challenges, and it is great to see Rosebrook leading the way in tackling some of these challenges.”

The other Ad Astra Academy Trust schools are Crooksbarn in Stockton-on-Tees, Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough, Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in County Durham.

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last eight years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,500 pupils and 525 employees in Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool.

11 July 2024

Photos:

Click on the link below to hear more when BBC Radio Tees presenter Amy Oakden visited the school.

A well-known Hartlepool public figure is to stand down from a key education role which he has held for the last nine years.

Chris Simmons has been Chair of Ad Astra Academy Trust since 2015 and the announcement came at the Trust’s recent annual Festival of Education at Teesside University.

Ad Astra Academy Trust has ten primary schools under its umbrella across Teesside and County Durham.

Mr Simmons, who headed up the music department at the former Henry Smith School in Hartlepool for over 25 years and was a key figure in Hartlepool Youth Choir for decades, received a special send off from dignitaries and pupils.

Mrs Sue Snowden, the Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, who carries out duties on behalf of His Majesty King Charles, thanked Mr Simmons for his service and along with pupils presented him with a star, which is named after him, and artwork of a tree where pupils from each school printed fingerprints to represent the leaves.

Speaking at the event, Sue Snowden, said: “Chris’s impact on children’s lives in terms of education across the region and especially within Hartlepool has spanned almost 60 years, and his impact within the world of music has been evident worldwide.

“Chris has always been a champion of children and in particular drove the policy of the Council to improve educational outcomes for Hartlepool children and was granted Freedom of the Borough in 2005.

“It gives me the greatest pleasure to thank you personally for your hard work, commitment, and dedication and present you with this token of appreciation for all you have done.”

Chris Simmons thanked the Lord-Lieutenant and then went on to praise Ad Astra Academy Trust staff.

He said: “I cannot thank you enough for everything you do in driving the Trust forward. All of your efforts and hard work will stay with children forever and help them enormously on their journey in life.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to serve you in my various roles. There’s a great togetherness and staff trust each other and believe in one another.”

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, said: “Chris has been an inspiration and pillar of strength to everyone across the Trust.

“He has carried out the role with great empathy and integrity and been a tremendous servant.

“Chris has been by my side for over 27 years in different roles and I cannot thank him enough for his support, tireless effort and dedication.”

Mr Simmons has also been Chair of Governors at West View Primary School and Vice-Chair of Lynnfield Primary School and a Hartlepool councillor for nine years.

He was also Vice-Chair of the British Federation of Young Choirs and President and then Vice-President of the European Federation of Choirs for 6 years.

Chris Simmons will stand down at the end of the summer term but continue to be a member of Ad Astra Academy Trust.

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last nine years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,500 pupils and over 500 employees.

Pupil power was one of the central themes at an education conference which took place in Middlesbrough recently (Monday 1 July).

Ad Astra Academy Trust, which has ten primary schools under its umbrella across Teesside and County Durham, held its annual Festival of Education at Teesside University.

Over 350 teachers and educationalists attended the day-long event in Middlesbrough.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, said: “Our Annual Festival of Education presents an excellent opportunity to celebrate our successes and maximise the benefits of collaborative working.

“As a Trust we are continually looking at making things better and we focused on a number of themes at this year’s event.

“One of those involved pupils from each of our ten primary schools addressing the delegates and informing them of the things that they would like to see improve.

“Our Pupil Leadership team is a key voice, and it is important that we take their views on board.

“Another important theme at the event was Early Years provision to ensure that we are providing the best possible education for our youngest pupils.”

Speaking at the conference, Andy Brown said: “Despite the challenging circumstances across the world, I continue to have unwarranted optimism about the future of education in this country and the growth and direction of our Trust.”

He also took the opportunity to announce a new Staff Wellbeing Charter for the Trust and said: “The Wellbeing Charter demonstrates our commitment and dedication to support, improve and enhance the wellbeing of employees.

“Wellbeing should be interwoven into everything we do, with the understanding that happy employees perform better and live healthier lives.”

Keynote speakers at the event included Tom Sherrington, an experienced former headteacher who has worked in schools for over 30 years and Bruce Robertson, the Headteacher of Berwickshire High School and author of The Teaching Delusion trilogy.

There was also a passionate presentation from brothers Andy and Matt Smith who were abused as children and have since set up their own company called Smash Life to try and ensure that vulnerable children get the appropriate support to help them achieve in life.

The Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sue Snowdon attended the conference and joined pupils in making a presentation to Chris Simmons, who is standing down as Chair of Ad Astra Academy Trust after holding the position since its inception in 2015.

Zarach Charity’s Beds for Heads also benefited from the event – a charity initiative to provide free beds for poverty-stricken families.

The event was chaired by BBC Radio Tees presenter Rachel Teate. It was opened by singers from Sunnyside Academy and closed by Middlesbrough musician Finn Forster.

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last nine years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,500 pupils and over 500 employees.

Click on the link below to view the full Festival of Education programme

Ad Astra Programme 2024

Children from ten primary schools across Teesside and County Durham came together recently (7 June) to demonstrate their sporting talents.

Pupils from Ad Astra Academy Trust schools met up for the day-long sports event at Middlesbrough Sports Village where they competed in a range of events including running, long jump, hurdles and distance throwing.

Pete Wiley and Helen Durnion, School Improvement Leads with Ad Astra, helped co-ordinate the event.

Pete Wiley said: “We organise regular collaborative events for our schools and the sports event was a huge success.

“All of the pupils showed their determination to succeed. They gave their all and competed in a very respectful manner.

“One of our primary schools (Ayresome) hold their annual sports day at Middlesbrough Sports Village so we modelled their programme and it worked really well.

“Performing at such a notable regional sporting venue like Middlesbrough Sports Village can only help inspire our pupils to achieve high in their chosen sports.”

Around 150 youngsters aged between 7 and 11 took part in the event and they all received a medal.

A rosette was also awarded to a child from each school who was judged to best reflect the Ad Astra Academy Trust STARS (Support, Togetherness, Achieve, Respect, Success) values.

The ten schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust are Sunnyside and Ayresome in Middlesbrough, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees, Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in County Durham.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, said: “This was a wonderful event, and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to its success.

“As a Trust we encourage our pupils to participate in sport and physical activity as part of our overall approach to promote healthy lifestyles.

“Events like this are also important because they provide an opportunity for our children to meet their counterparts from other schools.”

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last nine years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,500 pupils and 525 employees in Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool.

Youngsters from primary schools across Teesside and County Durham came together this week (22 April) to demonstrate their science knowledge.

Pupils from Ad Astra Academy Trust schools met up at AV Dawson offices in the Port of Middlesbrough for the day-long event where they showcased their talents.

Prior to the event, pupils were tasked with devising a specific project on a science theme which they then shared with fellow pupils at the event.

Topics were wide ranging and included inventions, density, biodegradables, evolution, and the human body.

At the event, pupils received a tour of AV Dawson’s 360 degree viewing platform where they learned about the vast range of local industries and businesses.

There are ten schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust. They are Sunnyside and Ayresome in Middlesbrough, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees, Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in County Durham.

Pete Wiley and Helen Durnion, School Improvement Leads with Ad Astra, helped co-ordinate the event.

Pete Wiley said: “We aim to organise a collaborative event for our schools each term and this time the topic was science.

“All of the children worked really hard to prepare for the event and it was a great way for them to demonstrate their talents and learn from each other.

“The event also provided an excellent opportunity for children to learn about the fantastic range of industries and careers that exist on their doorstep, and this can only inspire them to achieve high and reach their goals in life.”

Mr Wiley added that the event was a huge success and thanked AV Dawson for providing the venue.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, added: “Science is an important part of the school curriculum and all of the children excelled at the event.

“Science is a massive sector in the jobs market, and it is important that we highlight to children at a young age that there are fantastic opportunities in their local area.”

The event was supported by Andrew Stogdale of Sparks Tees Valley who delivered a science show to children, highlighting the many opportunities in the local area.

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last nine years has grown to provide education for over 3,500 pupils and 600 employees.

22 April 2024

Former Harlem Globetrotters star Paul Sturgess met up with youngsters at a Stockton-on-Tees primary school last week to encourage them to achieve well in life.

The 7 ft 8-inch former Basketball player – and Britain’s tallest man – was among a number people attending a three-day Careers Fayre for children as young as five at Rosebrook Primary School.

Other key figures in attendance to inspire schoolchildren were Premier League referee Tony Harrington and musician Eddie Huntington, who is Stockton Council’s Head of Education.

A wide range of other work sectors were represented including the police, health, ambulance service, football coaching, wildlife, animal welfare and the legal profession.

Speaking at the school assembly, Paul Sturgess said: “The purpose of me visiting schools is to demonstrate to children how different I am, but being different is a good thing and you shouldn’t shy away from who you are. You should focus on the things you are good at one day you can hopefully make a career out of it.”

Fiona Nicholson, Acting Headteacher at Rosebrook Primary School, said: “This is the first time that Rosebrook has organised a Careers Fayre on this scale, and it was a huge success.

“It was great to have high profile individuals like Paul Sturgess and Tony Harrington in school along with the many other people representing a wide range of careers.

“It is important that children start to consider at a young age what they would like to do in the future and events like this will help inspire them to follow their dreams.”

Paul Sturgess added: “Being as tall as I am doesn’t come without its challenges; but where I could have shied away from the world because of my differences, I instead harnessed them in a positive way to take on some incredible opportunities – like playing for the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters.”

Rosebrook is home to 460 pupils between the age of two and 11 and is one of ten primary schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust.

Rosebrook is one of ten schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, commented: “We had a broad spectrum of careers represented over the three days and we are so grateful to everyone for giving up their time to attend.

“Events like this are an important part of the curriculum as they help encourage children to learn and to start to think about what career paths they may wish to pursue.”

The other Ad Astra schools are Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn in Stockton-on-Tees, Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough and Kelloe and Deaf Hill in Durham

Click on the link below to listen to Paul Sturgess during his visit to Rosebrook Primary School.

Video

Children from eight primary school across Teesside came together this week (24 January) to demonstrate their creative art talents.

Pupils from Ad Astra Academy Trust schools met up at Sunnyside Academy in Coulby Newham for the day-long event where they made ceramic tiles from clay.

Prior to the event, pupils were tasked with designing their tiles to reflect the principles and values of individual Ad Astra schools.

Helen Craggs, Art Leader at Sunnyside Academy, who helped co-ordinate the event, said: “This is the first time that Ad Astra schools have collaborated on an event like this.

“Sunnyside Academy is the only school within Ad Astra to have its own kiln, so it is an ideal location.

“The event has given children the opportunity to demonstrate their creative talent and all of the ceramic tiles will be displayed at Ad Astra’s Festival of Education later this year.”

The eight schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra are Sunnyside and Ayresome in Middlesbrough, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees and Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, added: “Creative arts features strongly in all of our schools and is an important part of the curriculum.

“All of the children have fully embraced the event. The artwork is of an exceptional standard, and I am very proud of all the pupils who participated.”

Issued by Alastair Rae, on behalf of Ad Astra Academy Trust. For further information, call 07581239557.

25 January 2024

A two-year pilot project involving several Teesside primary schools has improved the speech, language and communication skills of nursery pupils (3 and 4-year-olds).

Ad Astra Academy Trust, which oversees eight primary schools in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees, joined forces with SHINE – an education charity that works with schools and other organisations, to help children reach their true potential – to launch the £52,000 initiative in 2021.

Such has been the success of the scheme; Ad Astra Academy Trust bosses are set to continue the programme across its eight primary schools.

Pete Wiley, Ad Astra Academy Trust’s School Improvement Lead, said: “Among our schools, we observed that two-thirds of pupils enter reception with below-typical language and communication skills.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated this problem, leading to a surge in referrals to speech and language services, which are already overwhelmed.”

The Trust developed a wide-ranging project, encompassing various strategies designed to enhance children’s communication and language abilities.

These included improving the quality of nursery environments, equipping staff with the necessary skills to foster high-quality interactions with children, and involving parents in the process.

Since the project began, schools across the Trust have witnessed significant improvements in how well children communicate.

For example, at West View Primary School in Hartlepool, 51.1% of children are classed as “ready for reception” this year when it comes to listening and attention – an improvement of 10 percentage points (40.8%) on the previous year.

Regarding speaking, 46.6% are deemed “ready for reception” – an improvement of 8 percentage points (38.6%) compared to last year.

Laura Wears, SHINE Champion at West View Primary School in Hartlepool, commented, “There’s certainly a case to run this project indefinitely. Language-rich environments, with highly skilled staff, are the key to developing young people’s speech, language, and communication skills.

“These skills are fundamental building blocks within a child’s development, and it is imperative to embed this early in a child’s education.”

Meanwhile, at Brougham Primary School there have been several initiatives including:

Training for early years staff, building expertise in delivering high-quality interactions unique to each child.
Development of a communication-friendly environment that promotes conversation and interaction.
Empower and enable parents to develop their own children’s communication and language through parent workshops such as ‘stay and play’, creating handouts for parents to refer to later.

Fiona Nicholson, Deputy Headteacher at Rosebrook Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees, said: “It is so important that our youngest children get off to the best possible start at school and the SHINE project has helped us to focus on the children who need additional support to bring their speech and language skills to the required level.

“It has enabled us to invest in a variety of resources to promote creativity and imagination. Staff have also taken part in training around developing questioning and vocabulary to ensure our school is a ‘word rich’ environment.

“It has been a really positive project with a marked improvement of communication skills amongst 3 and 4-year-olds which is vital to their future learning.”

Pete Wiley added: “The project has been a real success story. Staff knowledge and understanding of how to support communication and language has grown, pupils are generally making better progress and parental involvement has improved.”

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last seven years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,000 pupils and 500 employees in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees.

The eight primary schools within Ad Astra Academy Trust are Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees and Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough.

Youngsters from Rosebrook Primary School have benefitted from the SHINE project

Issued by Alastair Rae on behalf of Ad Astra Academy Trust. For further information, contact Alastair on 0758 1239557.