Latest news at Ashmount School......

• Team Ashmount in Santa Fun Run

  Tue 08 Dec 2015 Dave
  After a damp start the weather brightened up on Sunday  7th December for another very well attended Loughborough Rotary Club Santa Fun Run. The organisers estimated close to 1,500 Santa's took part over the 5 km course this year. All 20 of Team Ashmount made it to the finishing line. The money raised will be donated to The Rotary Club who will then return a share for The Ashmount Appeal.

  

• New date for Christmas market

  Mon 30 Nov 2015 DAve
  Due to bad weather Charnwood Borough Council cancelled the Christmas market on Sunday  29th November. It will now take place on Sunday 13th December. If you would like to donate anything to sell on the stall please send it in to school. Come along on the day to buy something or just to show your support.

• Coming up...

  Fri 20 Nov 2015

  Some forthcoming events for your diary:

   

  * Sunday 29th November - Loughborough Christmas Market for Loughborough Town Christmas lights switch on. Ashmount will have a stall on the market all day. Please donate something we can sell or just come along on the day to buy something and show your support.

   

  * Sunday 6th December. Loughborough Rotary Club Santa Fun Run. As usual Ashmount have entered a team and all runners will raise money to be shared between the Rotary Club's chosen charities and The Ashmount Appeal. Come along to cheer us on and make sure that you sponsor an Ashmount runner!

   

  *Sam's Christmas shorts. Sam the taxi driver brings some of our students to school every day. He has bravely volunteered to wear his shorts right up to Christmas!! Show your support by sponsoring Sam. Forms at reception. All money to the Ashmount Appeal

   

  *Christmas events at School. All parents will receive a list of what is going on over the festive run up to Christmas. We look forward to celebrating with you and our children.

• Scarecrow Festival

  Tue 03 Nov 2015 Dave

  On Sunday 1st November we had a great turn out for our annual Scarecrow festival. This year through the Learning Alliance we invited local schools to send in their scarecrows and had a great range of entries. Thanks to 3M for sponsoring the £100 first prize. The competition was judged by local M.P. and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan. The overall winner was Ashmount Class 8's entry of 'Ashwit' shared with visitors prize choice winner of Ashmount Class 2. We were also filmed for the T.V. Programme ChoccyWoccyDoDah. They provided a wonderful cake which was sold after the filming. All the food collected was donated to local food charity PACE and the money raised (close to £400) will also go to PACE to help disadvantaged families.

  Many thanks to everyone who took part.

  

• You're 'aving a laugh!

  Wed 28 Oct 2015 Dave
  We are spending a week looking at jokes and humour as part of the VoiceBox Speech and Language national charity work. This fits well with developing communication with our students. A variety of activities are taking place including Deputy Head Teacher David Deacon learning all about slap stick humour and custard pies from Class 1B - see the attached photos.

  

• Another school award

  Tue 29 Sep 2015 Dave

  Ashmount School has received the highest level of the national Inclusion Quality Mark Award. After much work  compiling the evidence of the wide range of inclusion work we undertake Charlotte Young (Class 1A teacher) went to London to collect the I.Q.M. Centre of Excellence Award on Tuesday22nd September. The Award was presented by I.Q.M. Director Joe McCann at The Institute of Directors. This is a step forward from our previous recognition of I.Q.M. status and celebrates the work we do with other schools to ensure the very best provision for children with special educational needs.

   

  

• Another disco contribution

  Mon 21 Sep 2015 Dave
  Friends and supporters of Ashmount Richard McNamee and Paul Middleton have staged a second soul and mowtown disco in Loughborough in the summer. This event raised £600 for The Ashmount Appeal which they recently presented to the school. Many thanks to both of them and everyone who helped raise this money.

• Thanks again to MotorLine Direct

  Thu 10 Sep 2015 Dave

  * Motor Line Direct of Shepshed are fast becoming one of our major sponsors and supporters. Motorline have donated the £100 prize for our raffle for two years. They have also sponsored a new sports kit for the children. They now have a website link up and running, feel free to visit following this link: www.motorlinedirect.co.uk/charities 

  Motor Line have now made five quarterly contributions to the school of £2,406.20, £2,401.20, £2,176.40, £2,600.23 and £2,259.60 This has been used to extend canopy cover over outside play areas.  Total donated so far = £11,843.63.

   

  Many thanks to Ash and Geni for all their support and help.

• Chair of Governors Jean honoured

  Mon 15 Jun 2015 Dave

  Jean Lewis our Chair of Governors has received an MBE for her service to education. As The Leicester Mercury says:

  Jean Lewis of Loughborough has been awarded an MBE for her work as chair of governors at Ashmount Special School in the town.

  Her citation states that Jean, 68, "has made an outstanding contribution to education in Leicestershire over a long and sustained period of time."

  It adds: "As chair of Ashmount Special School, she has championed the cause of children with special educational needs and promoted special schools as leaders of education.

  "Her actions and leadership have led the school to recently achieve an outstanding Ofsted report."

  Jean, who is also chair of the Leicestershire School Governors Association and the governors at Mountfields Lodge Primary School, said: "I'm not someone who seeks awards but I'm very happy to accept it because it represents the work of a lot of people other than me."

  Jean helped secure the £9.35 million to rebuild Ashmount School, which is one of only three special schools which continue to be run by the county education authority.

  
  
  Read more: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Queen-s-Birthday-Honours-List-honours-Richard-III/story-26686602-detail/story.html#ixzz3d6V39eOT
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• Governors in top six nationally

  Fri 12 Jun 2015 Dave
  On Tuesday 9th June ten of our school governors plus Helen Stockhill from County Hall travelled to London for the National Governors Association 2015 Governance Awards. We attended a ceremony and presentation at The House of Commons with shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt. The NGA awards are held every two years and Ashmount were judged as finalist placing us in the top six schools in the country for Governance. This is due recognition for all the hard work and dedication of our voluntary governors.