Diocese of Middlesbrough

acred Heart Secondary exists to serve the Catholic communities of Redcar, Marske and East Cleveland within the Diocese of Middlesbrough.  As a Christian community it is committed to bringing all members to a deeper knowledge and understanding of the person of Jesus Christ, and to provide them with the opportunity to commit themselves to lives centred on Gospel values.

The last Diocesan inspection report comments:

“Visitors entering the school are met by a piece of sacred art which bears the words of Christ: “Peace be with you”. This peace vivifies every relationship within the school and is evident in the respect and reverence that the pupils show to every other member of the community.”

“The outcomes for pupils in the Catholic Life of the school are already outstanding and have the capacity to improve even further.”

“This deserved success is driven by highly effective, motivated and principled leadership at all levels. Sacred Heart is a model Catholic community: one which could happily serve as inspiration for regional and diocesan transformation.”

The Academy is grateful for all the support provided by the parish priests and diocesan officers in developing the spiritual life of the community.  Whilst being dedicated to achieving the fulfilment of its own mission statement, Sacred Heart Secondary also recognises its role in supporting the Church’s mission and fully supports the Diocesan Vision statement for Catholic Education.

Diocesan Vision Statement for Catholic Education

To fulfil the Church’s mission to evangelise and make Christ known to all, the Diocese of Middlesbrough is committed to providing schools and colleges that:

• provide education with Christ at the centre and a strong sense of Catholic identity meeting the spiritual needs of all
• are welcoming, compassionate communities, in which all are equally loved and valued for who they are
• are affirming, challenging educational communities committed to the search for excellence for all
• work together as a Diocesan family of Catholic schools and colleges in order to ensure the best possible Catholic education for all young people 3 to 19
• work in partnership with other local schools, education providers and stakeholders in order to enhance the quality of provision for all
• live out the social teaching of the Church, and thereby promote community cohesion
• contribute in joyful hope to the creation of a society which is highly educated, skilled, fundamentally loving and generous.

National Citizen Service

National Citizenship Service (NCS) is a way for 15 to 17 year olds living in England and Northern Ireland to make extraordinary friendships, learn new skills and create unforgettable memories.  The inspiring programme "Imagine You Can", is an opportunity for young people to shape their future and challenges them to give something back to their community.

The NCS programme takes place outside of term time in the spring, summer and autumn.  There are four phases:

Phase 1 - Adventure

Phase 2 - Future

Phase 3 - Making A Difference

Phase 4 - Graduation

At the end of the programme students are encouraged to use all the new skills they have learnt to make changes in their own community.  Past students have continued with the good work, putting social action projects together and even starting their own social enterprises.

Don’t miss out on an unforgettable experience next summer with @NCS.

Click Here to find out more info! Grab your place and feel unstoppable! 

Remember, It All Starts At Yes…

Partner Ghana

Sacred Heart Secondary is privileged to be registered with the Partner Ghana project which develops long term relationships between schools in the UK with schools in Ghana.

Supported by Sabre Charitable Trust, this is a fantastic way to engage with pupils and teachers in another part of the world, sharing projects and experiences whilst learning about each other’s lives. The aim of the project is to foster greater cultural awareness and understanding in both communities.

Partnership activities include pen pals, shared projects, themed assemblies, curriculum projects, reciprocal teacher visits and team expeditions. The schools also have a live link via the internet so that shared discussion can take place in lessons.

Sacred Heart Secondary is partnered with Ayensudo Junior High which is located in the Keeda District on the Southern Coast of Ghana.

The Partnership Journey so far

Ayensudo Junior High is a school of 400 students set in the middle of a farming community.

With the help of the Sabre Trust, Ayensudo School drew up a list of possible projects that we could help them with:

• Rainwater Harvesting System
• Redecoration of the Kindergarten Class Rooms
• Malaria Awareness

The Sacred Heart community then set about raising the thousands of pounds needed to carry out the work and send an expedition team to Ghana.

In March 2012 two members of staff from Sacred Heart went out to Ayensudo to meet the Ghanaian teachers and students and observe their very different teaching methods.  The whole village community had prepared for the visit and they put on a special welcome ceremony.  Discussions began about the school partnership and the summer projects.

In July 2012 two teachers from Ayensudo, Solomon Appiah and Orpheus Armah travelled to the UK to join Sacred Heart for Community Week, sampling some formal lessons, school activities, and local food. Many staff hosted them during the week and as well as school life the two were able to observe the differences between the coastal regions of the North East of England and Southern Ghana.

During August 2012 the first student expedition to Ayensudo took place. This was the result of eighteen months of fundraising and planning. The whole project was well supported by the school community with many successful fundraising events taking place such as a Prom Fashion Show, Sponsored events and the Summer Fayre.

During the three weeks in Ghana the Sacred Heart team lived within the heart of the village and were able to learn a great deal about Ghanaian culture, local cuisine and daily life.

The Projects

A Rainwater Harvesting System was the main project.  Up to this point in time the school had never had running water despite two rainy seasons a year. Using a local plumber and community volunteers the team successfully installed a 5000 litre polytank. Guttering was put up to collect rainwater from the school roof and transfer it to the tank giving the school a form of running water for the first time.

The classrooms had never been painted making them very dark and dull. The expedition team painted the three kindergarten classrooms and had enough paint left over to paint on of the primary classrooms. The artistic talents of Sacred Heart students were revealed as they painted an alphabet artwork around the walls. The Ghanaian children and teachers now have bright colourful classrooms to learn and teach in.

A partnership mural was created on the side of the school building to remind the school and community of our partnership. The design of the mural signifies the coming together of two very diverse cultures who want to work together to broaden the life experiences of the students from both schools.

Malaria is a major problem in Ghana and the expedition team wanted to help the whole village community become aware of this killer disease.  Having prepared posters in the UK, the team worked alongside local health professionals to deliver a presentation to the whole community following which all children under 5 years of age were screened for malaria.  Most were found to be infected and they were then offered treatment.

October Expedition 2013

The focus of this 10 day expedition was the complete repainting of the Ayensudo Community library which stands in the grounds of the school. It is used as a staff room and ICT suite as well as housing all the books.  With the help of the Ghanaian buddies and staff the whole of the outside of the building was repainted and every window was fitted with mosquito netting, making the library a safer place to work. The courtyard area was brightened up with paintings depicting different subjects studied. Our famous partnership mural was another requested addition to the area.  On seeing the quality of the artwork the headmaster asked for the school logo to be painted on the outside of his office too.

Carefully wrapped within our luggage we took 3 microscopes and 2 sets of astronomical binoculars and tripods. The Ghanaian children were very keen to actually do some practical microbiology work. With the help of our students they were soon making their own slides of plant cells using onion and iodine. Next was animal cells using their own cheek cells and blue food colouring. These microscopes will now give hundreds of children in Ayensudo the ability to do practical scientific work that is only available to some Universities in Ghana.

The binoculars gave the students the chance to see the moon and stars in much greater detail than they have ever seen before.

During this expedition a survey was carried out to see what sort of equipment the kindergarten would like in their playground. This was to be the chosen project for the February 2014 expedition. With plans and measurements drawn the team said a reluctant farewell to their friends in Ghana with many saying they would return.

Take a look at a selection of photographs from the expedition here.

February Expedition 2014

At February half term, the third expedition team travelled to Ghana. This time the luggage contained brackets, chain, swings and tools ready for the playground construction. As the timber list had already been sent ahead we were ready to get started straight away.

What we weren’t ready for was the change that had occurred since October. With the paint we had left behind the students and staff had continued with the painting of the outside of the classrooms around the playground area. Also, the playground had been levelled and a perimeter of stones had been laid down. The school looked completely different. They are now planning to get some ‘black’ soil and sow grass seed when the rainy season comes in June.

We were very keen to continue with their work and make a difference in the playground, especially for the kindergarten children. They watched eagerly as the see saw, monkey bars, balance beam and swings were constructed. To brighten the area up the surrounding concrete was painted and bright stylised lizards and frogs were painted on the walls. On the grand opening the children were thrilled to finally get to play on the equipment.  The school staff commented that "the children are now eager to come to school so that they can play in the playground at their break times"

Take a look at a selection of photographs from the expedition here.

What Next?

A member of staff from Ayensudo spent four weeks at Sacred Heart during March 2014 to observe lessons and take part in  whole school life. Classroom practice was taken back and implemented in Ayensudo.

Although we had planned that a further expedition would take place in August 2015, due to the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, and the uncertainity of its containment, the planned expedition to Ghana was postponed.  Naturally the team were very disappointed but supported the decision to delay the visit and seek an alternative destination for 2015.  So now they are off to India.  For more information go to our Partner Schools Worldwide - India page.

As fundraising had already taken place for project work in Ayensudo, the money raised was sent out to the community to enable them to carry on with much needed work.

July 2017 Expedition

In July 2017 the fourth expedition group of students, staff and parents travelled out to Ayensudo. Their planned project was to construct an outdoor shelter for teaching and community events. The group worked closely with the village carpenter who shared his skills with the young workforce. Whilst the tools were at the school the group repaired all the broken desks and chairs to put them back in to the classrooms.

Several of the group learnt wood carving skills and made a welcome board for the front of the shelter and then coloured it brightly. Parrots were carved to denote that the Chief of the village is the Head of the Parrot clan.

The existing murals were refurbished and made to look fresh again.

Take a look at a selection of photographs from the expedition here.

 

February 2108— Latest Project

In February 2018 Phil Meadows (Ghana Lead) and Nick Tindall (Assistant Head) visited Ayensudo to present the community with funds that had been raised over the previous few years. The local community held a meeting and decided they wanted to build a bungalow at the back of the school. This facility would be used to accommodate student teachers who train at the school. The school hosts about 20 student teachers every year. The trainees are sent from all over Ghana and are expected to find accommodation for themselves. This facility will massively help those students as suitable accommodation is very difficult to find.

Within a few hours of Nick and Phil handing over the funds, the excavation work had started.

 

Our partnership with Ayensudo is still continuing and we hope to see our friends there again soon with the next student expedition in October 2019.

In the meantime the Academy community in the UK will be raising funds for the visit with a series of events.  We are very grateful for all the help given to our students by parents and friends and to all the local business who have helped us.  If you are interested in supporting the Ghana project please contact Mrs Meadows, Community Co-ordinator.

Partner Schools Worldwide - India

Following the disappointment of the decision not to take a team to Ghana in August 2015, Mrs Meadows worked hard to find an alternative place for the students to visit.

Sacred Heart can now confirm that there will be a visit to Silvepura, India over the half term holiday in October 2015.  The expedition group of 15 students and 4 staff will travel out to spend 10 days in Silvepura, near Bangalore, to carry out much needed project work.

Silvepura is a Christian/Hindu community in a rural location approximately 30 minutes north of Bangalore.  Two different organisations will benefit from the project work: Baale Mane Girls Home and Sita School.  The details of the projects have not yet been finalised but will consist of renovation and building work.

Whilst in India, the group will also explore the culture and many traditions of the country through visits and activities.

Watch this space for more details.....

School Direct

Applications for 2019/ are now Open

Sacred Heart Secondary is the Lead School for a consortium of primary and secondary schools in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland who are able to offer teacher training places through School Direct. Our consortium of schools comprises of local authority, academy, foundation and voluntary-aided schools. The consortium is working with Redcar and Cleveland Teacher Training Partnership to provide training in both the primary and secondary sector.  Successful applicants will be placed within one of the schools in the consortium and not necessarily Sacred Heart.

The School Direct course is a full-time one year course. Succesful completion leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Masters level credits. The consortium is not offering places on the School Direct Salaried route. There is an annual fee of £9,000 for successful applicants who may be able to access student loans in the same way as when completing a PGCE at a University.

Please note, a place on the School Direct training course is not a guarantee of employment.

Places available for 2019/20

· Primary 10 places

· Secondary  (please note these are limited to the following subject areas)

• Maths
• English
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• PE
• MFL
• History
• Geography
• Computer Science
• Art

For more information go to www.inspire2learnblog.com/GTP  or contact [email protected]

Applications should be made through UCAS.

For more information regarding the financial support that may be available to applicants click here.