Blackpool FC School has completed its first-ever half-term! Since the opening of the school in September the students have been very busy, here’s a roundup from the Head of School, Miss Trickett, of what they’ve been up so far this academic year.
As we approach the end of the first half term, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students, staff, parents, and our partner schools for their continued support in making Blackpool FC School a success. Our vision was to open an alternative provision for local students in Years 10 and 11 who struggle in a mainstream setting and who show a keen interest in sport and physical activity. This vision has now become reality as we were granted independent school status by the Department for Education. We have been fully supported by local schools and have made great strides in supporting some of the most vulnerable youngsters in the town, offering them full-time education in a safe and supported environment.
I am delighted with the way our students have settled in and the progress that has been made in such a short space of time, and I’m proud of how they have represented the school on numerous trips and educational visits.
During the first half term, we have visited the National Football Museum in Manchester, we learnt about the history of the beautiful game and had the privilege of seeing Sir Stanley Matthews’ FA Cup Final shirt, as well as the medal from 1953 when Blackpool FC beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3.
In the first week of term, we were visited by the commando rugby school. Students were given an insight into life in the army and had opportunities to build survival shelters, make hot drinks using only a few items and most importantly how to work as a team and be resilient when things are not always going your way. This was a full day out of a classroom environment where they had to call on several skills learnt in the classroom including maths and science.
As a school, we are passionate about embedding strong foundations and values for all our students’ future achievements and success. We recognise that every student is an individual and celebrate this through personalised, inspiring, authentic learning experiences.
We aim to offer young people a chance to shine and help find their way back into long term education and employment. To help support this and each student we offer a very hands-on holistic approach to teaching the curriculum. With this in mind, we organised six visits to a local construction apprenticeship provider, Unique Training Group. Here students learnt the art of tiling, joinery, bricklaying, and plumbing. Many of our students excelled and were offered opportunities to return on an apprenticeship when they are 16.
One student said,” I love coming to Blackpool FC School, as the class sizes are smaller than at school, so it helps me to concentrate, plus we do lots of practical activities, which helps me learn better”.
After the half-term break, we have set up some local educational trips to learn about the history of Blackpool for our project-based learning as well as a visit to the cenotaph and war memorial gardens to pay our respects to our war heroes. We have also teamed up with the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and Blackpool Council who are going to deliver workshops around ‘wasted lives’ and awareness of domestic abuse to women.
