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30th
January
2004 (upd. 12/2/04)
Schools Boost for Dudley North (update 12/204 with more Ellowes quotes, see foot of article) Local MP Ross Cranston Ross Cranston MP welcomed the Government announcement that they are designating two secondary schools in Dudley North as Specialist Schools: Ellowes Hall and High Arcal. Ross said: ‘It was heartwarming to read the letter from the Minister for School Standards, David Miliband MP, telling me we will have two new Specialist Schools in Dudley North by September. Ellowes Hall School will be a Sports College and High Arcal School a Science College. This follows on from the designations of Coseley and Holly Hall Schools in earlier years. I am writing to the Head Teachers to congratulate them on this great success. ‘This is an important initiative which encourages excellence in certain subjects and raises standards of teaching and learning across the curriculum. It also provides an excellent resource in the specialist subject for other schools in the area. In addition, it brings more money into the schools for capital expenditure.’ 12/2/04 Broad welcome for Ellowes' achievement Ellowes Hall School is one of just 30 schools nationwide to be awarded specialist sports college status in the latest round of awards. Specialist schools get a one-off grant of £100,000 from the Government and also an extra £126 per pupil each year. A report from the Specialist Schools Trust earlier this month showed that pupils from specialist schools obtained better GCSE results in 2003 than students from non-specialist schools. Headteacher Steve Byatt said ‘The whole school has worked really hard on the application process and even though we had to raise a huge amount of money ourselves we did not lose hope that the application would progress. We were really encouraged by support from the community, especially from the families of our students.' The Head of the school’s PE department Chris Papadopoullos headed up the bid for specialist status. She said ‘the reason for the success of this bid has a lot to do with the potential benefits it will have to the wider community.’ But she warned: ‘It felt like completing the bid was hard work but the hard work is only just beginning!’ Dudley’s Director of Education and Lifelong Learning John Freeman said, 'I am delighted that Ellowes Hall School has joined the group of "specialist sports colleges.' This is a real achievement for the school and represents much development work and partnership working. All children that attend Ellowes Hall School will benefit from this award, not just those with a particular interest or ability in sports. Ellowes Hall will now form part of the specialist school network within the Borough which is a key feature of our drive towards higher standards for all." Ellowes students were just as enthusiastic: Zak Hopson, Year 11 student, 15 years old: ‘This is good news for the school.’ Amie Broadhouse, Sixth Former, and 18 years old: ‘It makes me feel proud.’ Theresa Wood, Sixth Former, and 18 years old: ‘We will be able to come back after we have left to use the facilities.’ newsdesk@yampy.co.uk. --> |
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