Partnerships
by a team who work with community organisations and charities to address poor local health statistics by supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of residents. ‘It’s a lovely, welcoming building
relevant employment pathways, including apprenticeship routes.’ The Trust has introduced a strong
entrepreneurial strand to its sixth form and also partnered with employers in the area to co-fund the country’s first school-based STEM centre. Opened in 2019, the Gosport STEM centre was delivered with financial support from the Solent LEP, BAE Systems, the NEU, local engineering business Flitetrak, and signage company Signs Express. The centre provides hands-on activities that help students understand how an engineer thinks and works. There’s also a dedicated iSTEM+ space for professional learning to assist teachers and support staff. More broadly, GFM is a partner in the pan-Gosport STEM strategy and is working with QinetiQ engineering to organise work experience for students. Young people who have gained on-site experience with QinetiQ are now running a young leaders programme at the MAT to support their peers in identifying routes to employment. Another important initiative has
been to partner with watersports provider the Andrew Simpson Centre, to open a marine and maritime training hub. This partnership offers a Level 3 BTEC
‘Our vision is to create better opportunities for our students by being innovative and
supporting regeneration across our community’
in Sports and Outdoors, along with Royal Yachting Association qualifications, so that students in Years 12 and 13 have clear and additional routes in employment with the marine and maritime industry. Further, GFM has secured £10,000 from Abri Homes and £10,000 from the Beacon Foundation to support entrepreneurial young people under 25 in developing their own small businesses within the town.
A community hub A big part of the Trust’s drive to address disadvantage and hardship among families has come through the development of an on-site community centre. Opened in April, the centre is the result of a partnership with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (which awarded £400,000 to cover much of the project cost). The hub is staffed
that is open to everyone in our community,’ says Chris Willis. ‘We run a community larder and kitchen, where people can learn to cook, and the space is also hired out for community wellness classes such as Pilates. This summer Abri Homes donated £8,000 so that we could run a Good Grub Club through the holidays.’ Charities connected to the armed forces also offer free programmes, such as a ten-week nurturing programme to help parents and a Talking Teens service for young people. In a sense, says Chris Willis,
GFM is taking on a wider social development remit that picks up on where programmes such as SureStart left off after cutbacks. ‘We recently match-funded a grant of £5,000 from ArtsWork to establish an art therapy service for young people and families. We’re also partnering with sports clubs and organisations to establish the Gosport Community Sports Foundation, where professional coaches will deliver elite training sessions for our students. And we’re collaborating with the local parish church to co-fund a youth and community project worker who will look at how we can create opportunities for our students to work with charities in areas of need locally around the world.’
FundEd AUTUMN 2022 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
