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23 Jan 01

TWO NEW TECHNOLOGY COLLEGES IN POOLE

Poole now has two Specialist Schools with the announcement that Ashdown and Corfe Hills Schools have been awarded Technology College status from September 2001.

As part of the award, the schools will receive a £100,000 capital grant and £123 per pupil per year (for the first 1000 pupils), initially for four years to develop specialist subjects in design technology, information technology, maths and science.

To qualify, each school raised £50,000 in sponsorship; prepared four year development plans which target improvements in technology teaching and plans to involve other schools and the wider community.

Ashley Pellegrini, Headteacher, Ashdown School, said: "This is a major achievement for the school. A tremendous amount of time and energy was put into the bid and I am pleased that it paid off. To be designated as a technology college is both an honour and a responsibility. There is much hard and challenging work to do and all our students now have even further opportunity to progress. I am delighted for the school and excited by its future."

Andrew Williams, Headteacher of Corfe Hills School, said: "We are absolutely thrilled with this success. The bid is a success for our partner schools, including our three feeder middle schools, as well as ourselves. We are immensely grateful to the middle schools, our parents association, our private and company sponsors and to the Technology Colleges Trust who between them raised the £50,000 capital fund to which the Government will add an initial £100,000. This will be shared with our middle schools to improve computing facilities particularly for maths, science and technology. We will be able to support children and parents in making the most of the exciting potential of the new technologies which are revolutionising teaching and learning."

Funding at Ashdown will be used to develop the school's intranet and provide extra PC's for teaching in maths and multimedia facilities to help science and computer aided design. Corfe Hills students will benefit from additional computer rooms and twilight lessons in IT for parents to help support their children.

Councillor Annette Brooke, Executive Lead Member for Learning, said: "We are delighted that the hard work involved in the applications has been recognised and that we can look forward to the skills and enthusiasm in the schools resulting in excellent academic results and better opportunities for everyone in the local community".

Jeff Hart, Chief Adviser for the Borough, said: "Bidding for specialist school status is extremely arduous. We all congratulate them on becoming the first specialist colleges in Poole."


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Editor's Notes:

There are 609 specialist schools in England, with a Government Target of 1,000 by 2004.

Ashdown School currently has 715 pupils and Corfe Hills School currently has 1600 pupils.

Jeff Hart, Head of School Advice and Support, tel: (01202) 687046