Latest news at Ashmount School......

• Halloween Disco

  Tue 31 Oct 2017

  Thank you to all of our pupils and their families, and staff, who were able to attend our Halloween- themed disco from 6pm until 7.30pm on Monday 30^th October 2017.

   

  Pupils loved having the opportunity to get dressed up and dance along to their favourite songs.

   

  The dates for our Christmas- themed disco will be confirmed soon.

   

• Ashmount staff and students shortlisted for local sports award

  Thu 19 Oct 2017

  Ashmount staff and students have been shortlisted for the 'Outstanding Contribution to School Sports' award in the 2017 Charnwood Sports Awards.

   

  Pupils have consistently achieved the highest standards of personal progress in school sport for several years. During 2016/17, 97% of our students achieved expected, or above expected, progress in PE against national SEN expectations. The same can be said for 98% of students in 2015/16 and 97% of students in 2014/15.

   

  In July 2016, the school was awarded the Gold School Games Mark for the second year running in recognition of our commitment to the development of competition across our school and into the community.

   

  None of these achievements would have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our teachers and support staff, and our pupils and their families.

   

  The winners and finalists of the Charnwood Sports Awards 2017 will be announced at a presentation event being held in December 2017. We will keep you posted. 

• Harvest Festival Celebrations

  Fri 13 Oct 2017

  Thank you to everyone who has sent in donations for our annual Harvest Festival celebrations. 

   

  This year, our pupils and staff and their families have proved even more generous and we have received hundreds of food items. 

   

  These will be donated to 'Joseph's Storehouse' at 'The Carpenter's Arms', Loughborough, which is a local food parcel service that provides food, clothing and other essential items to a wide range of homeless and disadvantaged people living in our local area.

• Ashmount celebrates 35 years of our riding group

  Fri 13 Oct 2017

  This September, pupils and staff at Ashmount Special School in Loughborough celebrated 35 years of the Ashmount Riding for the Disabled (RDA) group.

   

  Pupils, staff, and supporters of the school joined together for a special birthday ride at Beacon Country Park. More than 40 children and young people were given the opportunity to ride at the event, with many more invited along to share a cake celebrating the event.

   

  The ride also formed part of the National “Big Ride”, a fundraising event being undertaken by Sam Orde, chairman of RDA UK, in which she is being sponsored to complete a long distance ride in each of the 18 regions, accompanied by riders from the RDA groups in order to raise funds towards a new National Training Centre.

   

  The Ashmount RDA group was specifically set up for the pupils attending Ashmount School. Run by a strong and highly committed group of volunteers under the supervision of the lead instructor Kate Holdich, the aim of the group is to encourage as many Ashmount pupils as possible to enjoy the benefits of horse riding in a safe and secure environment. With the support of the school staff and their extensive knowledge of individual pupil’s needs, the riding sessions have continued to prove a huge success over the years.

   

  Ashmount RDA sessions take place as part of the school curriculum in Key Stages 2 and 3 every Friday morning, where at present 8 riders attend each session, riding in 6 to 8 week blocks depending on the school term times, allowing at least 48 pupils to be offered the opportunity to ride during each academic year. Further sessions are available for parents and carers to access privately for their child on a Saturday morning.

   

  The benefits horse riding offers our pupils are extensive. Many pupils benefit socially from the interaction with the ponies, gaining confidence and self-esteem through building trust. Other pupils gain from the physical benefits of improved balance and posture due to the way they are able to sit on the pony. There are also the cognitive benefits such as improved concentration, processing and listening skills to name a few. The greatest benefit is the personal achievement of each pupil and the pride on their faces as they receive their rosettes at the end of each module.

   

  Initially riding as part of the Ratae RDA group based at Park View, Ashmount became a group in their own right in the autumn of 1982 and are now based at Meadow School of Riding, Woodhouse Eves, where the ponies are stabled and trained. During its history, Ashmount RDA has enjoyed many successes in Regional dressage and country challenge competitions, National championship events and the Special Olympics where 2 of our riders have won both gold and silver medals.

   

  We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the volunteers who have supported our pupils over the years. Their dedication and commitment has ensured that hundreds of our pupils have been given the opportunity to ride, many of them taking riding up at the weekends, with some even going on to win medals in the Special Olympics.

  

• Loughborough Santa Fun Run

  Thu 12 Oct 2017

  Ashmount School will again be taking part in the Loughborough Santa Fun Run and Walk this year in a bid to raise money for the school and other charities. We are hoping to form a team of staff, students and parents to run, walk or stroll in the 5km event. 

   

  The fun run, organised by Loughborough Rotary Club, raises money for local charities including Rainbows, Loros, Prost Aid, Alzheimers Society and Dementia UK. In addition, if we raise more than £150 as a team, Ashmount will also receive a share of the proceeds. 

   

  Entry fees for the race are £14 for adults and £7 for under 16s and each entrant will receive a free Santa suit. 

   

  If you would like to take part, please contact our front office staff for an entry form. 

• Scarecrow Festival - Sunday 8th October 2017

  Mon 09 Oct 2017

  Thank you to all those pupils, parents, staff and governors who were able to join us for our annual scarecrow festival between 1pm and 3pm on Sunday 8th October 2017. 

   

  This year's festival was the most popular yet with hundreds of people turning out to see our pupils' hard work. 

   

  Each class had made their own scarecrow which was proudly displayed around our school hall and foyer. Other local schools entered into the spirit by submitting their own scarecrow designs too. 

   

  Donations from our refreshments stall and the chocolate tombola totaled £100 and will be presented to the food parcel service based at 'The Carpenter’s Arms', Loughborough, which provides emergency food parcels to families and individuals in need in our local community.

   

  The winning scarecrow from our Primary Department was our EYFS class's 'Elmer the Elephant' design. 

   

  The winning scarecrow from our Secondary Department was Class 11's 'Gru and the Minions' design.

   

  The winning scarecrow submitted from local schools was 'Paddington Bear-crow' by St. Botolph's Church of England Primary School.  

   

  

• Scarecrow Festival - Sunday 8th October 2017- Save the Date

  Mon 02 Oct 2017

  As part of our celebrations for Harvest Festival, we will be holding our fifth annual Scarecrow Festival from 1.00pm until 3.00pm on Sunday 8th October 2017.

   

  Each class has made their own scarecrow which will be displayed around the front of the school. Other local schools and groups have been invited to submit entries.

   

  Refreshments will be made available, and any donations will be presented to the food parcel service based at The Carpenter’s Arms Loughborough, which provides emergency food parcels to families and individuals in need in our local community.

   

  We hope you and your family and friends can drop in during the afternoon to take a look at our pupils’ work.