A school in Eastwood which has turned into an academy has made a great start.
Eastwood’s MP, Lee Anderson paid a visit to The Florence Nightingale Academy on Chewton Street, Eastwood which has recently opened as a new Academy Trust after being Brookhill Leys.
Mr Anderson was invited to the school to meet the children and staff and hear how the school had adjusted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The executive headteacher and Trust director of Primary, Jacquie Sainsbury, explained to the MP how the school had ensured standards hadn’t dropped during the lockdown.
Work had been set remotely for the children with teachers phoning parents weekly to check that everything was okay and the children are now all enjoying being back in school and are adjusting well to the new safety measures.
During his visit the MP spoke to the children about Covid-19 with all the Year 6 pupils reeling off ways to stay as safe as possible.
The children also told Mr Anderson which football teams they supported after finding out he is a big Nottingham Forest supporter.
The school has some exciting initiatives planned over the coming months.
One of which is to recruit ten Kick Start scheme placements.
The scheme was recently rolled out by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and provides funding to employers to create new six-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment and £2 billion of funding has been made available to create quality jobs for young people.
The scheme will initially be open until December 2021, but there is the option for it to be extended.
Mr Anderson said: “This is fantastic news. Too many of our young people aren’t in education, employment or training.
"The pandemic has hit this age group badly.
"I’m really pleased that the school is utilising this scheme.
"I urge all employers big or small to hire as many kickstarters as possible.
"The school is brimming with ideas and I can’t wait to visit them again.
"The school slogan is to ‘laugh often, dream big and reach for the stars’. They are certainly living up to this.”
