Official Opening of the Train

21st July 2023Lee Wilkinson

The train was officially opened after the recent completion of the STEAM hub.  The Dales School had a chance to say thank you to the different organisations, volunteers and community who have helped make the train so fantastic.

We were also featured in the Chronicle and News post leader.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/blyth-school-officially-opens-converted-27313084

The Train is used as a resource to help children with life skills and basic skills, as well as developing early career aspirations, railway safety and reading for enjoyment.

Thank you to the Laurel trust, Harrison Foundation, Hargreaves foundation, Platten family Fund, Dreager, the Freemasons, Northern Rail, Barbour, Port of Blyth, Blyth Town Council, Avery Dennison and TEXO for the amazing support and funding.

On the journey of the train we have had some fantastic volunteers and workshops from Morgan Sindall, Northumberland County Council, AECOM, Network rail, the Police cadets and Aln Valley Railway.

Our amazing ticket office and waiting room was donated from Wickes and built by Blyth Manshed. Elaine Bambrough also worked hard in the STEAM room with painting and joinery.

In preparation for teaching early careers aspirations and learning how to travel on the railway we have had some amazing support from Marie Adderson from Northern rail, Nicola Buckley from Transpennine Express and Rachel Bateman and Mark Ellis from the Northumberland line.

Thank you to Mick Hodgeson from Network Rail for laying the train track and also Noel Forte from Henkel and Gary Barnes from Network Rail for donating products and helping to weatherproof the train. We would also like to thank Neil Blagburn for all the amazing support and local MP Ian Levy.

We have made some fantastic friends along the way. It was great to see everybody at  the train event and look forward to working with you in the future.

Volunteer Gardening Afternoon

20th July 2023Lee Wilkinson

Thank you to the fantastic staff from Avery Dennison and Northumberland County Council.

A big thank you to Arther Cranson,  Parks and Green Spaces Officer for organising colleagues from Northumberland County Council, Nicola Birch and Lorinda Lakey – Doorsamy for organising the Avery Dennison team.

Thank you to Dave Johnstone from D A Johnstone plant hire, for providing the weed barrier for the garden and Leon Savage from NCC for providing the wood chippings.

The team worked throughout the day to transform the garden. Arthur Cranson made some amazing raised planters that will be used in the growing and planting area. The team from Avery Dennison moved tons of bark, painted and weeded the garden.

Thank you so much for your help.

Covid-19 Update

22nd May 2023Lee Wilkinson

A reminder about Covid-19 in school – if your child is unwell, particularly with a high temperature, sore throat and/or cough, please do not send your child to school. If your child tests positive for Covid-19, please keep them at home for 5 days or until he or she tests negative.

If your child has sickness and/or severe diarrhea, please do not send them into school until 48 hours after the last time your child was sick or had a bout of severe diarrhea.

Currently, we have several cases of Covid-19 in school, with both children and staff infected on both sites. We also have a number of cases of sickness and diarrhea in school.

Please help us to limit the spread of both illnesses in school.

Thank you so much for your support.

Northumberland Line Train Volunteers

9th May 2023Lee Wilkinson

Our new STEM carriage is now on track to be completed thanks to Northumberland Line volunteers who have helped prepare the carriage ready for painting.

Thank you to Neil Blagburn who works as the Northumberland Line Delivery Director for arranging the volunteer day.

Morgan Sindall, the Northumberland Line, AECOM, SLC Rail, Department for Transport, and Seamans volunteers worked very hard to strip back the paint and clean the train. Thank you so much for the work and your time, we could not have done it without you.

Harrison Centre for Social Mobility

28th March 2023Lee Wilkinson

On the 17th March we had a visit from Daniel and Peter from the Harrison Foundation and our local MP Ian Levy.

The STEM/Railway Safety carriage has been funded by the Harrison Foundation and is now part of their social mobility centres. The Dales School is very excited to be part of such a fantastic organisation. A huge thank you to Daniel and Peter!

Ian helped the school make contact with the Harrison Foundation and has been helping to support our fantastic train project. We would like to thank Ian for all his support.

The STEM carriage will be used to help children develop early career aspirations and develop skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths as well as helping to deliver Railway safety using a real train.

https://harrisoncentre.org/mp-welcomes-new-harrison-centre-in-blyth/

Parents Gardening Team

6th March 2023Lee Wilkinson

We have recently started a parents gardening team, working at the Blythdale site. This will take place (Weather permitting) on Friday between 1-2pm. If you are interested in being part of the team please contact Tracy Henderson or James Groundwater.

We have a large garden at Blythdale and we are looking for help to maintain the grounds and make sure they are safe all year around for the children.

Thank you to – Thomas, Gemma, Natalie and Matthew for volunteering last Friday. Thanks so much for all the sawing and cutting. We really appreciate the time and effort, you are all amazing.

VIP Guests

6th March 2023Lee Wilkinson

We had a visit from some very important guests. We had the pleasure of welcoming Glen Sanderson – leader of NCC, Richard Wearmouth – Dep leader of NCC, Neil Blagburn – Northumberland Line project delivery director and Kim Waugh – NCC comms, on board the train.

We first met Glen, Richard and Neil at the Ashington hoardings event where students were pictured with members of Northumberland County council and Morgan Sindall. Maddison even made it to the front page of the journal and Bradley, Archie, Millie and Ellie May were seen proudly standing next to their picture.

Copyright Journal Newspaper

Our guests all had a great time visiting the Dales school train and even had a go at using the Train driving simulator

Northumberland County Council Leader, Glen Sanderson, said:

I’m so impressed by this fantastic educational tool providing such an interesting way for children to learn.  The dedication from the school and the local community and everyone involved is very inspiring.

This is such a unique environment which will help children learn vital rail safety in a really engaging way while at the same time allowing a space for them to learn life skills together with teachers, parents and carers alike. I am very proud that The Dales School are so supportive of this rail scheme as their enthusiasm shines through.

I want to say a huge well done to all involved for thinking outside of the box to help our future generations thrive.

Click here to view an article on The Dales School by the Northumberland Line.