5:26pm Thursday 1st April 2010
Following a recent Ofsted inspection, Rush Croft School in Chingford was praised for its efforts in strengthening the school community and forging links with residents beyond the school gates.Sian Harrison looks at some of the projects the school is undertaking
AT first glance, Rush Croft Sports College appears to be like many other secondary schools.
But behind the scenes, there are a host of projects and schemes designed to bring children closer and to benefit the wider community.
The 850-pupil school was recently inspected by Ofsted and, although the school received a satisfactory rating overall, the inspectors said its community cohesion work was exemplary.
Headteacher Pat Cutler said: “The inspector said he would be better at his job after visiting Rush Croft, because the school provided him with a benchmark for community cohesion.
“Because schools are predominantly judged on academic attainment, the personal and well-being agenda can sometimes be pushed to one side, so we were very pleased it was recognised.”
Rush Croft faces a number of challenges, drawing pupils from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds.
But, as highlighted by the recent report, it is meeting those challenges head on with a raft of schemes and partnerships.
The school is open 50 weeks of the year, rather than the usual 39, and is open from 8am to 10pm, six days a week.
This allows pupils to use the facilities outside of the regular school day for sport, dance and extra classes.
But it is also used by the neighbouring community, who can access facilities including a Citizens Advice Bureau, an NHS mental health worker and a number of adult classes and courses.
Assistant headteacher Sean Reed said: “It all started about five years ago, when the school became a specialist sports college and we had a community sports coach based here.
“We have built on the fact the school is now open longer to get more community groups here to complement the sports.”
After-school projects include Community Kickz, run by the Football Foundation and the Metropolitan Police.
Although the main focus is on sport, the project covers cooking and healthy eating as well and there are talks from police on the issues of street violence and gangs.
Leyton Orient and Arsenal also work with the school on areas of the curriculum, including Spanish, numeracy and literacy, where the football clubs have expertise.
Stretching beyond the school, there are leadership programmes running with local primary schools and also international links with developing countries.
Mrs Cutler said: “Some students go to Selwyn Primary School to do modern languages leadership with the children there and some go into other schools to do dance and festivals.
“Those links are extending into international partnerships and we have now got a number of links set up with countries including Afghanistan and Mozambique.”
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