Latest news at Ashmount School......

• Ashmount achieves Youth Sport Trust Gold Quality Mark

  Fri 01 Feb 2019

  We are delighted to announce that Ashmount has been awarded the Youth Sport Trust Gold Quality Mark for its commitment to physical education (PE) and school sport at its school. The Youth Sport Trust is a national charity that builds a brighter future for young people through the power of sport.

   

  The Quality Mark is an online self-review tool which provides schools with a nationally recognised badge of excellence for the quality of its PE and school sport. The tool supports schools to audit their PE provision and identify priorities for its development. 

   

  Headteacher David Deacon said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded the Gold Quality Mark from the Youth Sport Trust, which recognises our commitment to delivering the best possible sporting experiences for the young people at our school.

   

  “There are a whole range of educational, health and wellbeing benefits from delivering high quality PE and school sport, and we see on a regular basis that when it is delivered well it can transform the lives of all pupils.”

   

  Schools are awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold status, which reflects their efforts in using PE and school sport to raise achievement across the school. When a school is awarded the Gold Quality Mark, the Youth Sport Trust visit the school and validate its self-review. 

   

  Alison Oliver, Chief Executive at the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Congratulations to Ashmount for achieving the Youth Sport Trust Gold Quality Mark. Schools which achieve the Quality Mark, share our belief in the value of high quality PE and sport and the positive impact it has on young people’s journey through education.

   

  “PE and school sport helps young people to live healthy and active lives and through it, helps them achieve their personal best in school and life. We are delighted to be working with thousands of schools across the country that recognise the competitive advantage this gives to their pupils.”

• First Outing for New School Minibus

  Thu 31 Jan 2019

  Students have been making good use of the school’s brand new minibus, which has been kindly donated by the Morrison’s Foundation.

   

  The new vehicle, which was delivered in January, has been used by students across the school to transport them to sporting events and educational visits, including an inaugural trip to Leicester City FC stadium.

   

  

• Workplace Challenge Wheelchair Basketball Winners!

  Fri 25 Jan 2019

  The Ashmount Staff Team are no strangers to sporting success!

   

  On 24th January 2019, Ashmount entered two staff teams into the Leicestershire and Rutland Sport (LRS) Workplace Challenge Wheelchair Basketball tournament at Holywell Fitness Centre, Loughborough.

   

  Both teams put up an impressive performance in the 3-hour event which saw the teams split into two groups where they would play teams from 6 other local companies in a round-robin style format.

   

  However, it was the Ashmount A Team which proved the quickest and truest shot, winning all of their qualifying games and beating the Youth Sport Trust in the final to be crowned champions on the night!

  

• Local companies to play charity football match in support of Ashmount School

  Mon 21 Jan 2019

  Many thanks to local companies 3M and Thermo Fisher Scientific for organising a charity football match in aid of Ashmount School. 

   

  The match is organised for a 10am kick-off on Sunday 3rd February 2019 at Quorn Football Club. 

   

  The bar will be open and there will be a raffle. Tickets to watch are £1 on the gate. All are welcome to come along and support. 

   

  All money collected on the day will be donated to The Friends of Ashmount. 

• Message from our Chair of Governors

  Fri 21 Dec 2018

  What a busy term—time seems to have flown, and I can't believe we are less than a week away from Christmas Day and the holiday celebrations!

   

  But what a lot of celebrations Ashmount has to record and rejoice in this term! Winners of the School of the Year, Community Champions and finalists in the Healthy School awards in the Leicester Mercury Education Awards. And a finalist in the Special Recognition Award in the Sports Awards Roll of Honour—congratulations Shaun!

   

  Events where we gain recognition are very gratifying, but I particularly like to attend all the events our pupils participate in—the wonderful group singing at The Curve, the links with the art projects at the Attenborough Centre, and not forgetting the brilliant nativity plays we have just enjoyed from our youngest pupils—they really put us in the mood for Christmas!

   

  And a big thank you also for the support we continue to get for all these events from our parents, carers and supporters—this year's Christmas Fayre was a rip roaring success, both socially and financially!

   

  But the nicest comment I have heard recently came from one judge at the Education Awards, who said: “When you come into Ashmount, you don't feel anyone is putting on a show or trying to impress—you just see everyone pulling together and co-operating to make sure everyone is being given the best possible educational experience, in the broadest sense of the word.” That's what we're all striving to do—term in and term out—and it's great when this is noted. Thank you to everyone for helping school continue to deliver the best for our pupils.

   

  Now let's relax and enjoy the festivities—the Governors wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone!!

   

  Jean Lewis 

   

  Chair of Governors 

   

• Christmas performances

  Thu 20 Dec 2018

  It’s been a busy term for students throughout the school as they have been preparing for Christmas with lots of festive performances, parties and outings.

   

  Key Stage 1 presented ‘The Angel Express’ to their families. The story follows the excitement of heaven’s host of angels as they compete against each other to sing a special song for Baby Jesus and win the ‘A’ Factor.

   

  Key Stage 2 also performed their play ‘The Magical Christmas Jigsaw’ in which a group of children complete a tatty old puzzle to discover the Christmas story.

   

  Congratulations to all of our students, staff and volunteers for putting on two fantastic Christmas performances!

   

• Christmas Jumper Day 2018

  Wed 19 Dec 2018

  Thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 14th December 2018.

   

  We are pleased to announce that we collected £78.00 on behalf of Save the Children.

   

  Save the Children have been in touch to say, 'Your donations will help save children's lives and make sure they get the things they need to grow up healthy and happy. By taking part in the festive fun and fundraising you really have made the world better with a sweater.'

• Pupils, staff, parents and carers sing Christmas carols in Loughborough

  Fri 14 Dec 2018

  Thank you to all of our students, staff, parents and carers who sang Christmas carols for an hour in the Carillion Court in Loughborough on Thursday 13th December 2018. 

   

  Their signing and singing was very much appreciated by passing shoppers who donated more than £80 to the Ashmount appeal.  

• Ashmount named as 'School of the Year' in Leicester Mercury Awards

  Wed 12 Dec 2018

   

  We are delighted to announce that Ashmount scooped three prizes at the Leicester Mercury Education Awards held at the King Power Stadium on Thursday 6th December 2018. 

   

  Ashmount was named winners of the 'School of the Year' and 'Community Champions' awards and were shortlisted as one of two runners-up in the 'Health Schools' award.   

   

  For the 'School of the Year' award, a judging panel concluded: ‘Ashmount School has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted three times in a row. The special school for pupils between the ages of 4 and 19 with a range of special educational needs, was judged by Ofsted to have an outstanding quality of education throughout. In April 2018, Ashmount was designated as a National Support School by the Department for Education as a result of headteacher David Deacon being designated as a National Leader of Education in the latest recruitment round. The award is in recognition of the school’s continued high standards of teaching and learning and in recognition of the impact the school has had in recent years when supporting other schools across the country. The staff, governors and families at Ashmount really do work together to ensure that pupils are provided with the highest standards of care and education.’

   

  In the 'Community Champion' award, the Leicester Mercury reported: ‘In January 2018, Ashmount was inspected by Ofsted and judged to be ‘Outstanding’ for the third time in a row within seven years and each week, the school opens its doors to a range of professional trainees including doctors, nurses, social workers, police officers and community support workers from organisations like Leicester City Football Club, giving them the opportunity to work alongside children and young people with special educational needs so they can be better trained and more highly skilled in supporting people with special needs and disabilities when they take up roles in our community. The school is active in raising money for charity and in April was designated as a National Support School by the Department for Education in recognition of its continued high standards of teaching and learning and the recent Ofsted inspection.’

   

  Finally, the school was named as one of two runners-up in the 'Healthy Schools' award, with the Leicester Mercury writing: ‘Promoting a healthy lifestyle is always on the curriculum at Ashmount, a special school for pupils with a range of special educational needs. Staff teams regularly take part in sports tournaments organised by Leicestershire and Rutland Sport, as well as weekly after school yoga and running sessions which have led to staff taking part in a range of sponsored runs and walks over the last year. Many of the pupils have specialist dietary requirements, so healthy menus are put together by the school kitchen staff working under the guidance of the local authority dietician. In September 2018, Ashmount was awarded Healthy School status by Leicestershire County Council and has also achieved the Gold School Games Mark Award for the third year running for the 2017/18 academic year. Pupils have also held sports days, tried archery and visited a BMX Jam as well as taking part in a sensory Santa Fun Run.'  

   

  Thank you to all of our pupils, parents, staff, governors and volunteers for their continued support and hard work. 

   

  Ashmount is featured in a special supplement in today's Leicester Mercury.   

  

• Christmas Fayre proves a festive success!

  Tue 11 Dec 2018

  The Friends of Ashmount would like to thank everyone who helped out or supported our first ever Christmas Fayre, which was held at the school on Sunday 9^th December 2018.

   

  The event was a huge success and together we raised £2260.32.

   

  Special thanks must go to those organisations which donated prizes for our raffle.

   

  Congratulations to our Key Stage 4 and 5 students who made a fantastic range of Christmas products – including Christmas cakes, wooden reindeers, festive biscuits and wreaths - as part of their Enterprise project. The sale of these items raised a further £535 for the school.