Watch as education secretary and businesses such as Nissan launch life-changing partnership for Sunderland children
The city’s biggest institutions including the University of Sunderland, Nissan, and Gentoo are supporting a new partnership between Pennywell schools, and the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, was at Academy 360 to officially launch the initiative.
The Pennywell Fellowship will see six school’s in the estate’s catchment area form an official partnership to work collaboratively, sharing resources, expertise and common goals to increase the academic, sporting and employment opportunities for Pennywell pupils.
To maximise opportunities for Pennywell’s young people, the fellowship has enlisted the support of some of Wearside’s biggest institutions to help deliver the programme.
They include Sunderland Council, the University of Sunderland, Sunderland College, Nissan, Barclays, Sunderland Software City, the North East Automotive Alliance, Durham County Cricket Club, Sunderland Culture, Active Sunderland, and Gentoo.
The school’s involved in the Fellowship include Academy 360, who hosted the launch event, North View Academy, Christ's College, Highfield Academy, and South Hylton Academy.
To mark the launch of the Fellowship, the event was attended by the Secretary of State for Education and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, Bridget Phillipson.
Mrs Phillipson said: “Today is a really exciting day for Pennywell children. We have got all of the schools working together with local business, sporting organisations and community groups to make sure that all of the children here get a wide range of activities alongside a brilliant education.”
Mrs Phillipson also stressed the importance of the fellowship having the backing of some of the city’s biggest institutions.
She added: “It makes a real difference to have corporate organisations, businesses, and the university here today to demonstrate some of the opportunities that are out there.
“It also means that the schools can work together to provide those opportunities. This is the start of a long journey which I think is going to deliver brilliant results for our young people and also give fresh hope to the local community.”
The fellowship has been facilitated by the Laidlaw Foundation whose school’s trust has governance of two of the schools in the fellowship; Academy 360 and South Hylton Primary Academy.
In a speech marking the official partnership, Sally Newton, CEO of Laidlaw Schools Trust, highlighted the fellowship’s key areas of priority to improve employment and higher education opportunities, expand sporting and co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities, and to increase engagement with the local community.
Speaking to the Echo Mrs Newton added: “The fellowship means instead of schools in Pennywell working in isolation, they will be working together alongside corporate partners across Sunderland, civic institutions and community groups to really make a difference around employability, enrichment, and engagement.
“It’s incredible for the Education Secretary to be here today and for her to show her commitment to this initiative.
“I think this fellowship will be truly transformational for children in Pennywell. We now have the power behind us to really drive things forward and to create the opportunities to make lasting change that our children so richly deserve.
“We are continually being asked to do more with less, which is why it’s important to work in partnership with these organisations to develop the whole child and not just focus on academic success.”
It was a sentiment shared by St Anne’s Roman Catholic Primary School headteacher Catherine Harrison.
Catherine said: “It’s incredibly important that our schools in Pennywell come together. It has taken us all by surprise just how many partners - big and small - wanted to be part of the fellowship.
“The children of Pennywell can only benefit from these partnerships. This is going to be life-changing for our children.”
Today’s (September 5) launch event saw pupils and staff gather at Academy 360 to take part in a range of taster activities delivered by partner organisations including Gentoo, Barclays, Nissan, Active Sunderland, and the University of Sunderland.
Wendy Price, Head of Widening Access and Participation at the University of Sunderland, said: “The Pennywell Fellowship is a ground-breaking and innovative initiative which will transform the lives of young people and families in Pennywell.
“Working collaboratively with local schools and other partners reflects our shared commitment to delivering improved outcomes for our young people.
“Combining our expertise and resources means we can connect young people to rich opportunities and support them to achieve their future ambitions.”
Paul Vinter, Head of the SME Business Relationship Management Team at Barclays, added: “Barclays is really supportive of the Pennywell Fellowship aims and principles and we are looking forward to working together in the future to support the people of Sunderland.”