News-cast for January & February 2008

By Mischa Constant

 

The first couple of months in 2008 has been another great start for Faccts.
As follows:
Junior schools:
Our great team of Faccts Associates are continuing to run valued Christian lunchtime clubs in most of the Junior schools in Fleet. Their teams are growing, as well as the attendance from the students and we are excited about the opportunities that continually arise through these clubs to encourage and strengthen the lives of the students as well as the schools staff. For those who don’t know, these lunchtime clubs held weekly at:
• Heatherside Junior school
• Crookham Juniors
• Velmead
• All Saints

They began as initiatives many years ago through local churches, often geographically the closest to each respective school. As Faccts has developed over the last 5 years the individual teams of each of these separately run clubs accepted the Faccts invitation to become Faccts Associates. This has greatly enhanced and encouraged all involved as they are now officially linked into the massive network of schools-work charities and trusts country-wide. The Faccts team is expanding by the term and our expertise and training is improving all the time, mainly through Scripture Union UK.
(www.schoolswork.co.uk and scriptureunion.org.uk)

The team at Fleet Methodist Church also run Easter and Christmas presentations at their church, normally for year six's at: Heatherside, Velmead and All Saints Junior schools. The reason that the other two schools: Elvetham Heath and Crookham Juniors are not involved in these presentations is due to them not being within walking distance of Fleet Methodist Church. Faccts is often part of their team too and it is always well received by students and staff! Faccts is working with other local churches hope to offer these presentations to Elvetham Heath and Crookham Juniors in the near future.

Faccts also runs a once per ‘summer term’ course called: ‘It’s Your Move’, for the year Six’s at all the Fleet Junior schools. A nationwide course by Scripture Union to assist year Six leavers in their thinking about Secondary school education. This is normally done class by class at each school with an hour presentation. It is always well received by student and staff alike. Faccts also run various Junior school assemblies at each of the Junior schools on a termly basis, which again, are well received by students and staff.  In the near future Faccts hopes to offer various Extended schools services at each of the Junior schools.

 

Secondary schools:
Our work in the local Fleet secondary schools:
• Calthorpe Park Secondary
• Court Moor Secondary

Is continuing to expand from strength to strength.
The Faccts services in local secondary schools mainly began just over 5 years ago and in secondary schools, like all schools there are always many needs and great opportunities for the local community to enhance their education. Faccts has always sought to meet  these various needs that our local schools have as much as we are able.
As indicated in the website there are two main areas of opportunity in schools:
• During school hours
• Extended schools (or after schools hours)

 

School hours:
Various school assemblies; Various residential trips; Various lessons (PSHE and RE); Staff coffee mornings (a weekly THANK YOU from the local Christian community for the amazing services that our local teachers offer our children!); various other random acts of kindness.

Extended schools hours:
Various sports coaching; Various Faith based clubs (‘180’ – formally known as CU);  supporting various schools sports matches; residential trips; and more opportunities are continually available.

Thanks to the faithful efforts of previous Faccts schools-workers our ‘working’ relationship with the local Secondary and Junior schools continues to improve.

 

Greater opportunity:
By 2010 it will be mandatory for every Education Authority in the UK  to continue to offer Extended schools services  according to a recent UK government report. Extended schools hours are included from the hours of: 08:00am (until school begins) and then from after school to 18:00pm. There is local council funding for local schools to do this but it varies greatly from one locality to the next. From 2010 schools will mainly need to individually find their own funding for this. A great challenge for many schools and their staff already under pressure to perform well with Ofstead, not to mention the students parents! If they cannot offer Extended schools then they will need to ‘Sign-post’, meaning to point students in another direction locally, with options to spend their Extended schools hours to enhance their education holistically.  This is where opportunities for organisations like Faccts come in. What is Faccts? Fleet and Crookham Churches Together in Schools.

In a nutshell, a fantastic opportunity for the local Christian Church (You!) Together, to step further into this valuable Extended schools Opportunity. Faccts as you may know has been doing this faithfully  for years and local Church Partnership continues to be inspiring. The exciting thing is . . . our opportunities have just got Bigger! We need to act now as 2010 is only a mere 22 months away! Your local schools need our ‘man-power’! There are many more talented people in our local Christian Churches (over and above those that already offer their skill regularly) with time to spare and skills to offer our local students. Mischa, Nicola and the Faccts team are eagerly anticipating you getting in touch with us. May we continue to channel our Christian service to our local community through Faccts:

Fleet and Crookham Churches Together in Schools.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us – it is MUCH appreciated!

 The Faccts team.

 

(Next news-cast at the end of April 2008)
Kindly contact us for Archived Faccts news.

 

 

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