The makeover is part of the 'Give and Gain day' which is supporting the local community.  Ysgol Glan Aber was one of the lucky schools to be picked to take part in this project.

During the day The Ground Force Team will be designing and creating a Forrest School which will include a giant chess board, mini golf, new benches and a dragon made out of tyres.

The team will also provide planters for every class to grow their own vegetables, this will be an opportunity for the children to learn more about the natural environment and hopefully encourage them to take up gardening.

Alterations and improvements will also be made to their memorial garden, the memorial garden designed in the memory of a pupil which Ysgol Glan Aber sadly lost.

Jenna Whittam, Branch Manager at New Directions Education commented’ we have worked closely with Ysgol Glan Aber and know how much the children and staff  are looking forward to the garden makeover.  This is an amazing opportunity for the school and I am looking forward to seeing the final result'.

Date: Thursday 30th May 2013
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Location:  5th Floor, Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3PF

What will be on offer…

• Advice and guidance on applications and CVs from our education specialists including an ex Head Teacher
• Information on current short, long term and permanent vacancies, within Merseyside, Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire
• One to one advice and guidance from your own personal Account Manager
• Opportunities for paid work between now and the end of the school year

This is fantastic opportunity to meet the team at New Directions Liverpool to help kick start your career in teaching and meet other NQTs.

The event is also open to experienced teachers who are looking for the next challenge in their teaching career.

If you would like to attend the event please let us know by contacting 0151 515 0820 .

Pupils on the school council who lead the scheme worked with teachers and other pupils to identify ideas on how sport could be improved at the school. One of the ideas chosen was for the school to develop a new playground; the children wanted more designated pitch areas to be able to play sports like football, netball and cricket.

To raise money for the new playground the school held a health and fitness day. Children were sponsored to take part in the day which involved them working through 10 activity stations ranging from basketball shooting to sit ups. The day was a great success, raising £1,056 for the playground project.

The success of the fundraising spurred the school council to continue their efforts for improvements to the school. The school held a celebration ceremony to thank everyone who had contributed to the playground fund and also launch a further initiative. Rhian Vernall and Kate George, Account Mangers at New Directions Education were invited to the ceremony where they presented the school with a cheque towards the fund.

Rhian Vernall commented ‘the celebration ceremony has been really enjoyable; we have had a chance to meet the children who form the school council and also the children that will benefit from the new playground.

New Directions as a company has close ties with schools and local communities so we are excited to support them in building a future for the children. Sport is very important for children not only does it ensure they have an active lifestyle it also teaches them life skills and sportsmanship’.

Matthew Hillman from Tremains Primary added ‘we are proud of the children who have worked really hard to raise the money for the new playground, it will not only benefit the current pupils but also the children who will attend the school in years to come. The playground will be a lasting legacy which will encourage sport in our school. Everyone at Tremains Primary would like to thank New Directions Education for their donation.’

The scheme is available to all schools who work with New Directions Education across South Wales. The scheme aims to bring together local schools and business to help improve the communities we work in.

Howard Burge, Regional Manager from New Directions comments ‘the scheme is an opportunity for schools to ensure that they are able to reward pupils at the end of the school year with traditional school trip. Our business understands budgets in schools are being stretched, so we are always looking for innovative ways to provide cost effective solutions.’

To take advantage of this offer simply quote ‘New Directions Education’ at the time of booking. If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager.

Oakwood Theme Park in Narbeth, West Wales is the biggest theme park in Wales and with the new £4 million ‘Neverland’ area opening soon it is described as becoming ‘be bigger and better than ever’.

The school is currently undergoing quite a transformation to modernise their facilities. Michelle Thorne, Account Manager for New Directions commented ‘I am looking forward to seeing the finished result and hope that the infants thoroughly enjoy their new playground area’.

The group of six ladies will be teaming up with the ladies at Gladstone Primary School in order to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. All funds raised by New Directions will go towards the money raised by staff at Gladstone Primary and will be added to their target goal of £500.

Leading the challenge for New Directions, Account Manager Vicky Parsons says ‘our team love a challenge, and if it is for a good cause, all the better. We will be aiming to raise as much money as possible for a cause that sadly touches so many people’s lives.’

Help the pink ladies to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and the team at Gladstone Primary reach their target by following the link and donating http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/NewDirectionsPinkladies

The event was held in order to raise much needed funds for a school minibus.

The evening kicked off at 6.30pm with an array of stalls offering everything from glitter tattoos to refreshments and the New Directions Penalty shoot-out. Jenna and Sam helped set up and facilitate the evening, which had entertainment from up and coming bands ‘Vinyls’ and 'Pretty Girl Rock'.

Jenna Whittam, Branch Manager at New Directions Education commented ‘when Rhyl High School asked for any support we could give them for the fundraising efforts we were only too glad to help. At New Directions we are a firm believer in supporting the communities we work within’.

Sam Piling, Account Manager at New Directions Education added ‘the night was a huge success with Rhyl High raising enough money for a school mini bus. The evening was planned well and we were happy to lend a hand’.

Mr A C Nichols, Director of Teaching & Learning at Calday Grange Grammar School said “Tony Wilson has worked so hard with all his Art groups, the Year 8 have really taken to him, he has an excellent rapport with his students & has fitted into the school like one of our own. The staff love him and he is quite simply an all-round gentleman”.

Tony has worked for New Directions Education for several years as a Supply Teacher, working with a variety of different schools. Tony was delighted with the award of £25 worth of Gordale vouchers for something for his garden.

Account Manager Kevin Mercer, was delighted that Tony has won Employee of the Month and commented “Tony is an un-assuming person who goes about his business with a permanent smile on his face. I have had excellent feedback for Tony no matter where I have worked with him and no matter in what role. It comes as no great surprise to me that he has been rewarded with Employee of the month , the only real surprise is that it hasn’t come any sooner. Tony makes my job so much easier to facilitate as he quite simply rolls his sleeves up and gets on with the job in hand with a minimal amount of fuss. Many supply teachers have a stigma that they aren’t good enough or worry too much about things they can’t control, but nothing appears to faze him”.

The new standard, known as ‘REC audited education’ will provide assurance to education providers across England and Wales who regularly use recruitment agencies to provide teaching and non-teaching staff.

The standard replaces the now defunct quality mark that was previously run by the department for education (DfE) in conjunction with REC. The quality mark was abolished in February 2013 by the department DfE after it was decided that government funding was to be withdrawn. The decision came as the DfE felt it was time for the recruitment industry to independently make arrangements for compliance with legislation.

Leah Seltzer, Head of compliance at New Directions commented ‘Since the disbandment of the Quality Mark there did seem to be some disarray amongst education agencies and their respective clients. It is essential that schools have the confidence that all appropriate checks are taking place. REC Audited Education will provide peace of mind to many, and the Compliance department at New Directions welcome its launch’.

The REC developed the new scheme in conjunction with stakeholders from the education sector including individual schools, local authorities and unions, this has ensured that the new scheme is focusing on the issues considered important to them.

REC chief executive Kevin Green says ‘When a school turns to a recruitment agency to help them find staff to work with children and young people, they have to be confident that all the appropriate checks have taken place. The aim of our scheme is to give head teachers peace of mind that they are working with an accredited supplier who adheres to the very highest standards.

To achieve REC Audited Education status and display the badge, recruitment agencies will have to prove they are not just compliant with all necessary legislation and regulations but that they operate the very best practice”.

Read more about the quality mark here: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/news/2013/05/rec-launches-quality-mark-successor-for-education-recruiters/

Daniel Pengelly was selected from a pool of nominations covering Wrexham and North Wales. Most recently Daniel has worked at Ysgol Christchurch in Rhyl.

Jenna Whittam, Branch Manager for New Directions Education said ‘Daniel has worked for New Directions Education for three years, he has consistently received positive feedback from the schools he has worked with who have especially commented on his excellent interaction with the children. The nomination for Daniel was well deserved’

Rebecca Macintyre, Primary Account Manager for Wrexham added ‘Daniel is an outstanding Primary Teacher and we at the Wrexham branch would like to thank him for all his hard work over the past three years’

Daniel will be presented with a certificate and a bottle of champagne to help him celebrate this award.