Four national charities team up with Holly Lodge Girls' College in Liverpool as part of Transform Project
A ground-breaking collaboration between four charities that has given wrap-around support for Holly Lodge Girls’ College based in Liverpool has seen representatives from each charity visit the school this morning.
The four charities; PTI, Youth Sport Trust, Debate Mate and Place2b have been committed in repositioning and developing separate programmes and initiatives for the College.
Each individual charity has helped with a different area of support. These being:
●The curriculum, classroom and quality of teaching: PTI
●PE: Youth Sport Trust
●Oracy: Debate Mate
●Mental health training for the staff: Place2Be
So far, some headline impacts have been:
PTI: Commitment in January to a leadership project (following the Deputy Head Richard Clift attending our Leadership Residential) that focuses on increasing critical thinking skills at Key Stage 3 (11-14). Participation of Languages and Science Heads of Department at our Crewe Hall Enrichment Residential (and various other engagement by 13 of the 57 staff in PTI activities)
Youth Sport Trust: Re-positioning and transformation of the PE curriculum, so that every student can find their passion. Inspiration provided for Year 9 by the visit to the school of two “Athlete Mentors”, Jenna Downing and Nicola Minichiello.
Debate Mate: Students participated in debating competitions with other schools last year despite the challenges of Covid, leading to increased levels of confidence, as well as capacity and willingness to work in teams.
Place2Be: Attendance by 15 members of the pastoral staff team at Place2Think training seminars last academic year. In the autumn a Mental Health Champions programme was launched.
Chris Pope, Co-Director, the PTI said: “The PTI is delighted to be working alongside representatives from Youth Sport Trust, Debate Mate and Place2Be in supporting Holly Lodge Girls’ College in Liverpool to give its students the best possible start in life. The visit today has demonstrated the commitment of the school’s staff and the impact that this project is having on the students’ education: a focus on developing good critical thinking and oracy skills, enhancing the PE offer for all, and providing staff with training in mental health and wellbeing support, to mention just a few.
The PTI believes that all young people, irrespective of their background or abilities, are entitled to be taught by knowledgeable teachers who have high aspirations for their students. We are delighted that this ethos is shared by the school and I look forward to working alongside Holly Lodge Girls’ College and the other three charities over the coming years as we continue on this exciting journey.”
Andy Keen, Headteacher, Holly Lodge Girls’ College: “As a forward thinking, ambitious school which is driven to improve outcomes for all students, the opportunity to become the national pilot school for the Transform Project was one we could not pass up. Over the last 18 months students and staff have all benefited from the involvement of the PTI, Debate Mate, the Youth Sports Trust and Place2Be. These opportunities have allowed both staff and students to enrich and develop themselves, improving teaching and results along the way. Today’s visit has cemented this relationship and we look forward to working together to further improve the life chances of our outstanding students.”