3 rivers training

Durham

Quality Local First Aid Training,My name is Steph Bedggood and I am the founder and lead trainer at 3 Rivers Training. I am Gippsland born and bred living near Newry with my family. I have a well-founded knowledge of the challenges and difficulties that arise, especially in regard to medical emergencies, when living in rural or remote regions of Victoria. Where loss of life or limb can occur within minutes; when help might be hours away and how important, being able to confidently apply first aid, can be in saving someone’s life. My passion is providing practical training that is accessible, enjoyable and which leaves the participant feeling confident to manage first aid situations that they may come across. A Registered Nurse (RN) with 18 years’ experience including a post graduate degree in Emergency Nursing which I practiced for 9 years and clinical education. To maintain my Nursing skills and currency, I work in General Practice as an RN Nurse Immuniser and am an Australian College of Critical Care Nurse (ACCCN) Advanced Life Support educator. Over the past 2 years I have been a director and active training provider of a local First Aid & Training business founded and focused on providing First Aid training and tailored nursing education programs throughout Victoria.

dyane's stitch in time

Durham

She holds a B’tec in Art and Design – focussing on Textile Art in particular Fashion Design and Batik, then trained in Clothing Manufacture & Management at Jacob Kranmer Collage (Now Leeds College of Art) in Leeds more than 30 years ago. Eight years later she took time out to gain a BA(hons) in Environmental Ethics at Wolverhampton University. In recent years she took her PGCE for Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector at University of Sunderland. Over the years she has stitched costumes, cushions and curtains for numerous projects / shows in England, Wales, India & Canada; becoming a company director of Eco-Babes – a cloth nappy company in 1998 until 2006 and Arts Director for Gaunless Valley Creatives CIC 2015 – 2018. As an artist some of her Batiks with freestyle embroidery have been exhibited in Art Galleries. Dyane’s Stitch in Time was set up in Norfolk in 2008 and moved back to County Durham in 2012. By focussing on Repairs & Alterations, she blends her skill in sewing with her interest in the environment with particular focus on waste minimisation. She also uses a vintage hand wheel Singer during power cuts and for repairs to vintage clothing. Over the years Dyane has enjoyed combining her textile skills with her environmental concerns & community spirit with others of all ages. Of particular success is the Stitch Kidz Club held for KS2 & KS3 Children, originally in Norfolk with kids becoming skilled enough to make their own trousers, skirts and tops, this has now been revived succesfully in this area. Stitch Kidz don’t just make items for themselves they get involved with the community, making dresses from pillowcases for a local Trashion show which were then sent to Dress a Girl around the world. Plus some of the accesories hats, bags and belts for National Show Kynryn for their community certificate :-). Many in Sew Social help make washable cloth sanitary pads for women in Syria and Pakistan. On moving to Durham she has become involved with holding a variety of Textile and Art Workshops for children, teens and Adults in the local Community via Lot 64 in Darlington The Bowes Museum, The Hub, Witham, NeST – Barnard Castle, Evenwood Family Programme, Gaunless Valley Creatives in Cockfield, Colour Your Life, The POD – Bishop Auckland, Auckland Castle, The Forum – Northalerton, UK Sewing Shop – Darlington, Durham Crafty Mums and several schools. Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in learning more practical life skills, folk dusting down their sewing machines and wanting to learn how to sew. I enjoy working with individuals helping them to learn these essentials, working on personal projects. In 2020 during the first Lockdown of the pandemic Dyane’s Stitch in Time had to temporarily close the business for three months, however Dyane got very busy volunteering with the Sewing for the Front Line North East project, started by Zoe Worrell & Alison Mathews instead, becoming one of their area co-ordinators, networking with other co-ordinators and personally ensuring around 35 home sewers had the patterns, donated fabric (including a lot of bedding to be upcycled 🙂 and the haberdashery they needed to create the Scrubs, Gowns, washbags & ear defenders that our NHS staff desperately needed. Stitch Kidz got involved too from their homes, making wash bags and heart pairs for families of covid patients in intensive care. Through all the amazing efforts of the local home sewers she was able to covid safely deliver thousands of items including hundreds of scrub sets and gowns to Auckland, Durham, Darlington Memorial General Hospitals, West Park, Auckland Park and Lanchester Mental Health Hospitals, some fun childrens’ character themed ones even reached paediatric teams in hospitals further afield and the local community teams of Midwives and Health visitors. Towards the end of lockdown we were also able to give 150 gowns to Premier Care for their large team of local Carers in Bishop. All in all between all the incredible volunteers – donating time and skills the Area Co-ordinators and their home Sewing ladies (and children) we were able to supply thousands of scrubs, gowns and washbags to help protect our NHS and Care home workers from the corona virus all across Northumbria, Durham and Teesside. Although later lockdowns have not meant the business has had to close, as we have adapted to the constantly changing ‘new normal’, it has severely limited the service that can be offered. So in early 2021 Dyane is using the quieter business time to complete a course in Direct Method Construction for high end dressmaking. She hopes these enhanced pattern construction skills will serve her customers well and add to the skills she can share in workshops when such activities can resume 🙂

the education partnership (uk)

England

Welcome to The Education Partnership. Please take a look around our website and see what we can offer you. Bill is chairman of The Education Partnership, which has for the past twenty years provided a truly comprehensive range of governance and compliance expertise to schools, colleges, and outdoor education activity centres. He was previously a Head Teacher of all-age boarding and day schools in the maintained and independent sectors, including those for children with complex learning and behavioural needs. Bill works with proprietors and Head Teachers in preparation for and following up inspections by Ofsted (Education and Social Care) and ISI (Regulatory Compliance and Education Quality). His expertise in this area covers NMS, RSS, dual registration, initial registration, final registration and material change. Bill also works with schools judged as â€œinadequate” by Ofsted or â€œunsatisfactoryâ€ by ISI, helping them to achieve â€œgoodâ€, â€œoutstandingâ€ and â€œexcellentâ€ Ofsted or ISI outcomes. Bill is approached by an increasing number of proprietors, chairs of trustees and headteachers, who find themselves in challenging circumstances. This includes schools that have received a warning notice from the Department for Education due to their failure to meet the Independent School Standards Regulations (ISSR) and/or the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for boarding and residential special schools. Consistently, these schools see improvements at subsequent inspections. Currently, Bill is undertaking a longitudinal study of independent proprietorial schools, examining the governance implications of compliance and external inspection outcomes. To this end, we are looking for proprietorial schools in England for whom we could undertake a free of charge one-day compliance health check in return for participating in a confidential semi-structured interview on this subject at the end of the day. If you would be interested in taking up this offer, or would like a PDF of the second edition of this research, please contact billbrown@edpa.org.uk

durham trinity school & sports college

Durham

WELCOME TO DURHAM TRINITY SCHOOL AND SPORTS COLLEGE Welcome to Durham Trinity School and Sports College. We are a generic special school educating pupils 2-19 years of age, with autism or profound, moderate, severe or complex learning difficulties. Some pupils also have additional medical, physical, sensory, linguistic or behavioural difficulties. All pupils at Durham Trinity School and Sports College have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). Durham Trinity is a relatively new purpose-built school, situated on the outskirts of Durham City Centre. The pupils have access to specialist rooms and facilities such as ICT suite, sensory room, hydrotherapy pool, and a design Technology room. We are developing Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) areas; to allow them to access the curriculum and thrive in their interests and strengths. From September 2019, the school have introduced a 3-curriculum pathway to ensure the needs of the diverse school population are met academically, emotionally and physically; whilst providing challenge and support to ensure they are prepared for the next stage in their development, towards adulthood. We are a Sports College, providing an excellent provision that develops pupils’ physical skills and mental wellbeing, educating them about leading a healthy lifestyle, whilst having fun! Pupils have opportunities to access non-competitive and competitive sporting activities throughout the school year. We provide a Further Education Unit (FEU- Post 16) on site where the excellent provision continues until they are 19 years of age. Our greatest resource is the staff. They are supportive and highly skilled in SEND, supporting pupils throughout the school day to ensure they achieve their goals and become as independent as possible. Together with pupils, families and other agencies, we work together for the best outcomes for our pupils. For parents/carers considering our school as a future option for their child you are encouraged to contact school and make arrangements to visit us. We would be delighted to meet you and answer any queries you may have. For existing parents/carers, we hope the website gives you additional information about what your child accesses. If you require a paper copy of any of the policies or documents that are on our website, please contact the school office.

prince regent street trust

Stockton-On-Tees

Founded on the Principles of the Primary Curriculum, the Prince Regent Trust is a group of three local good/outstanding primary schools with a common purpose. The Prince Regent Trust is fundamentally one of sustainable school improvement. All three schools are good and outstanding, yet are very different in so many ways. We feel that having such a variety of different sizes and school make ups will enhance our capacity to support and develop other schools joining the Trust. We have a very successful primary ethos, which enables all children to maximise their potential. We strongly believe that every child has the right to the highest quality Education. Successful schools and their leaders hold the responsibility to work alongside other schools to support improvement. Leaders have a collective responsibility for improving the whole system for mutual benefit. The Prince Regent Trust is committed to highly effective working partnerships with school leaders, colleagues, parents and all other stakeholders.l

durham johnston comprehensive school

Durham

We are a happy and thriving school in the heart of Durham City. We believe that each word in our school name is hugely important and is linked directly to our ethos and values, and what we seek to do on a daily basis. We are proud to serve the people of County Durham and our students are drawn from a wide geographical area. We take our name from James Finley Weir Johnston, a successful scientist who bequeathed money so that both boys and girls from Durham could access a high-quality education. We have been providing a rich and varied academic curriculum since 1901 and are proud to have a long and distinguished history. Subject specific knowledge and an awareness of Britain and the wider world are hugely important as students develop and learn. The quality of education that we offer is comprehensive in terms of both breadth and scope. We are also a comprehensive school in terms of the wide variety of backgrounds and circumstances that members of our school community come from. Increasingly, our students are drawn from a wide variety of nations and continents too. That diversity is one of our greatest strengths Our staff are highly experienced and combine subject specialism with a commitment to pastoral care and student support. All students have equal access to a well-planned curriculum, a wide range of opportunities for personal development and the chance to learn from the others within our school community. We believe firmly in social justice and equality of opportunity for all; when students cross our threshold each morning, they have access to the same opportunities. As a school we believe in education in its widest sense; students can learn a huge amount both in and beyond the classroom, and, of equal importance, by interacting and working with others. The personal development of each student is key to their future success, and we offer a diverse range of extracurricular opportunities, as well as encouraging participation in public service, particularly through our well established House System. In their time with us we want all of our students to make excellent academic progress based upon their starting points, to acquire knowledge, to access opportunities regardless of previous experiences or circumstance, to support others within and beyond our community and to leave us for further success as adults. We are a big and busy comprehensive school, and all teaching and support staff are united in wanting the best for our students. We work hard, and look for ways to adapt, improve, and create new opportunities for our young people. We don’t always get things right and sometimes encounter issues and circumstances for which there aren't easy solutions, but we are honest about that and seek to work closely with parents and carers. We want all students to enjoy their time with us, to be successful and to look back on their time at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School positively.

sunshine sensory

Darlington

My name is Tracy and I am the founder of Sunshine Sensory. Sunshine Sensory was not something I ever envisioned in my life, but I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity and want to share my journey with you. I began my work career working as a teaching assistant with mainstream and SEN children while studying part-time for my degree. This allowed me the opportunity to work in a wide range of settings and develop a greater understanding for what was available and the different types of support. After qualifying as a teacher, I spent over 10 years specialising in EYFS and the development of children from birth to five. I loved working as a teacher and being able to reach children through a wide range of resources and approaches. In 2001, at one year old, my daughter was diagnosed with severe learning difficulties suddenly teaching became a lot harder and my life begin to change beyond my imagination. I spent huge amounts of time researching special needs resources, training and activities, only to find that at the time it was very limited, that had to change. So, in 2019, after a lot of soul searching, I left teaching and set up Sunshine Sensory. My aim with Sunshine Sensory is to provide parents / carers / teachers and anyone else interested with the skills to support their child, mainstream or SEN, with the appropriate sensory experiences to allow them to reach their potential. Every child is unique and the classes I have created reflect that, there is a structure but if you child chooses to explore the resources in a way different than I had planned that is fine. We have to appreciate that each child will have different tolerances to sensory resources, some children might like the light touch of feathers, some may dislike it and that is also fine. Through the whole session I provide support, reassurance and model ways for you to interact with your child in a variety of ways. Ultimately having fun and creating that special bond with your child. Just as the classes were getting going, I was contacted by several adult centres (SEN and care homes) asking if the sessions would be appropriate to their residents. With some adaption over the use of the stories and music we use I was able to create sessions that supported the adults. Supported by the use of a wide range of sensory materials and songs that would be familiar to them and encourage active participation in the activity. Leaving teaching was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make but as I see the children supported meeting their sensory needs and the adults developing more confidence and understanding about the area of development it is worth it. Parents, carers and key workers have gained confidence from attending session and seeing just what they can continue to use at home on in their setting to support their child/adult’s development. This mean that although I may no longer educate in a school, I am now able to educate a wider range of adults and children, continuing to positively impact on the lives of children/adult’s that need support. It is amazing and I feel so privileged to be part of all these people’s lives and I want to thank everyone that has supported me in this journey so far. I hope you come and join us on our journey and enjoy the magic that is looking at the world through a sensory perspective.