On Friday 25th January a Festival of Wind Band music will be held in the school hall at The Crypt School, Gloucester.  This will be the first occasion when all adult wind bands supported by Gloucestershire Music, the county’s music service, will join forces to perform.

Whilst the majority of its work supports music making in schools, Gloucestershire Music also provides opportunities for adults to learn to play instruments in the context of a wind band, jazz band or orchestra. Particularly successful has been the ”Learn as you Play” scheme, designed for complete beginners, whilst more advanced players are also catered for.

Playing in the concert will be:

The 5 Valleys Music Centre Windbands (aka Learn as You Play bands 1 and 2), two adult groups that have been in existence for over 2 and half years and for just one term, respectively, directed by Tim Cambray.

Lakeside Concert Band that has been playing for over 3 years, directed by Jennie Henley.

Colwell Arts Concert Band, the most senior band that has been in existence for over 20 years, directed Philip Cowley.

They will be playing music from a variety of sources and genres, film (Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back to the Future), song (The Green Leaves of Summer), classical (Mars - from the planets by Holst, a selection from the Nutcracker suite, Tchaikovsky) and dance (Jamaican Rumba).

For full details of Gloucestershire Music’s activities, please go to www.gloucestershiremusic.co.uk

Source: Gloucestershire County Council

Tags: gloucestershire | music | concert | education

Pupils from 54 schools in Gloucestershire have given generously and raised over £5100.00 to feed children in developing countries.

Schools were invited to take part in the World Food Programme’s ‘Buy One Give One Free’ initiative, which took place on World Food Day on Monday 16th October.  Schoolchildren were asked to donate 11p, which is the amount needed to feed one child in the developing world for one day.

As a county, they raised £5144.26, which translates into 46,766 extra children being fed through the World Food Programme’s School Feeding Programme.

Many events were organised by pupils themselves, with school councils and classes coming up with ideas to raise money for the World Food Programme’s School Feeding Programmes including miles of pennies, auctions, car washing and theme days. Bishop’s College, Shrubberies Special School and Heron Primary School won a competition to tell the story of their campaigns.  Representatives from these schools will be visiting the World Food Programme in London next month.

Councillor Joan Nash, Cabinet Member for Schools; said: This is an extremely impressive amount of money to be raised by our schoolchildren. Through their generosity, they have ensured that over 46,000 children will receive a meal.  This is a wonderful example of pupil power and participation and I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all of the schools which took part”.

Representatives from School Councils of some of the schools that raised money have been invited to a ceremony to be held at Shire Hall in Gloucester on Wednesday 16th January where Greg Barrow, a representative of The World Food Programme will receive the cheques from students of Archway School, who raised the largest amount of money.  Jo Davidson, Group Director of Children and Young People’s Services, will be presenting certificates.

Source: Gloucestershire County Council

Tags: charity | education | food | gloucestershire

A special event that gives young people the opportunity to learn about responsible, safe and legal driving is to be held in Moreton-in-Marsh next month.

Teenagers aged between 15 and 17 are being urged to sign up now for the Roadrunners project at Cotswold District Council’s Moreton Area Centre on Monday February 18th.

The event, between 10am and 3pm, is designed for young people who are thinking about learning to drive.  The course covers topics such as:

• First driving lesson – A chance to get behind the wheel of a dual-control car, guided by a qualified driving instructor.
• The costs of motoring - Find out how much a car costs to run and how to keep insurance and other costs down.
• The dangers of speed - Can you judge speeds and braking distances? What happens in a crash?  Test your reaction times.
• The role of the Fire & Rescue Service - Talk to firefighters about their work and daily experiences.

Roadrunners is a partnership between Cotswold District Council, Gloucestershire Police, Gloucestershire LEA, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue and various youth and community groups.

The Moreton event, which was first held in 2005, will be run by representatives of all the organisations involved.

Moreton Area Centre Manager Sarah Cantwell said:  “This event follows on from our hugely successful Roadrunners projects at Moreton in previous years.

“All the young people who have attended in the past have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and gone away from the event with the skills and knowledge they require to be able to start driving and owning their own cars.”

The cost of the day is £3 per person, which includes lunch. To book a place for your child, please contact the Moreton Area Centre on 01608 650881.

Tags: cars | moreton | education

Are you interested in education and consider yourself fair and impartial? 

If you think you are, Gloucestershire County Council is seeking volunteers to sit as Panel Members on Education Appeal Panels.

Education Appeal Panels hear appeals against the decisions made by Gloucestershire County Council, as the Admissions authority (in respect of community or voluntary controlled schools) to either refuse admission to a child or to permanently exclude a pupil.

Membership of Panels must include a member with experience of education and this means parents of registered pupils at a school.  Appeal Panels are normally held during the working day at Shire Hall in Gloucester with the majority taking place in June and July.  The amount of time spent hearing appeals varies and, on occasions, some may have to sit for up to six days. The county council will pay reasonable costs and one day of training must be completed before sitting on a Panel.

Panel members must hear all appeals for the annual intake for a particular school and have no personal or professional interest in any case which they hear.  For that reason, panel members may not serve on panels for their local schools or for any child who is a relative or friend.

Councillor Joan Nash, Cabinet Member for Schools, said: “Appeal Panel members play a vital role in ensuring that appeals are independent, fair and impartial.  I hope that parents will come forward and take an active role in contributing to Gloucestershire’s education system.”

Applications for appointment as members of Appeal Panels with experience in education can be made in writing to:
Mrs J Cleaver
Democratic Services
Shire Hall
Westgate Street
Gloucester
GL1 2TG
or by telephoning 01452 425096 or email jane.cleaver@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Tags: gloucestershire | education