Busines Name

The Lord Lawson Cluster is made up of the following schools:

· Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School
· Barley Mow Primary School
· Birtley East Community Primary School
· Kibblesworth Primary School
· Portobello Primary School
· Ravensworth Terrace Primary School

An allocation of funding to the Lord Lawson Cluster Group was used to provide each school in the cluster with a large LCD screen television to display information to the public, pupils and staff with regards to the extended services and activities available at each school within the cluster and other providers in the area.

The cluster identified the need to link service providers and schools together to provide a one-stop-shop for pupils, their families and the wider community to sign-post them to information as to whats available in the area. Consultation with school staff, parents and carers supported this project and the screens are now up and running in each school.

As a phase 2 children centre, Birtley Children Centre is the first in Gateshead to offer extended services for children, young people and their families 0 – 19 years. Co-ordinating a menu of Children Centre and Extended Schools ‘Core’ activities and services that meet the needs of all children and young people.

A summer of consultation with parents, children and young people has enabled Children Centre staff to develop a timetable of activities for the under 5’s.

As a Children Centre, Birtley will also offer ‘Full day Care’ for children 0-5years, on target to begin March 2008.

Birtley School Cluster is continuing to develop and offer services, current projects include:

Communication Advice and Information, all schools within the Birtely Cluster now offer information about their school by plasma screens, in partnership with Gateshead Early Years and Children Centre’s, future plan are to develop the level of information offered to include that of activities, services, advice and information from all sectors of the community eg: libraries, voluntary organisations.

Volunteer Programmes, Children Centres and Birtley School Clusters are in the early stages of developing volunteer opportunities for parents / carers and young people in a range of activities including:
Children Centre activities
School projects, involving neighbourhood management and wardens, the play unit, police, schools and colleges.

Parenting Support, extended services are to include the co-ordination of a full range of parenting support offered throughout Birtley and Kibblesworth. Ensuring that support is appropriate to the needs of individual families a range or universal, targeted and specialist support will be available, including:

Chatterkids – Speech and Language Support
Family Learning
Speak Easy – Sexual Health advice
Triple P – Positive Parenting Programme 1 – 19years
Family Nurturing
Mellow Parenting

An audit of current activities offered within Birtley Cluster Schools and within the community will highlight any gaps in services offered and future developments made accordingly to ensure a full complement of services and activities are co-ordinated for all children, young people 0-19years and their families.

Swift and Easy Access in the Lord Lawson Cluster

Target Youth Support Path Finder (TYSP) pilot began summer 2006, covering a geographical area of Birtley, Barley Mow and Kibblesworth in conjunction with the Training Development Agency (TDA) the programme aimed to provide earlier identification, support and intervention to meet the needs of children and young people aged 8 – 17 years on a multi agency basis. To ensure change both a strategic and operational level the TYSP targeted multi agency working at a practitioner and manager level.

Now more than 12 months on, major changes have been achieved in the Birtley, Barley Mow and Kibblesworth area including:

· More that 50 people from a range of agencies are working together to ensure better outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

· Management and practitioners have accessed Common Assessment Framework training at an appropriate level to ensure a holistic family support plan and appropriate services are offered.

· A Multi Agency Group of practitioners (MAG) meet on a regular basis to develop and review family support plans, making further referrals and appropriate next steps where necessary.

· On a strategic level, a South Area Panel (S.A.P) of managers meet on a regular basis, working in partnership to unblock any problems as identified by MAG members.

Successful outcomes highlighted from the TYSP project are recognised in future plans in the Birtley, Barley Mow and Kibblesworth area. With the current development of the phase 2 Birtley and Chowdene Children Centre’s it is future plans include the involvement of practitioners working with families from ante natal care, incorporating the ‘Family Support’ element of Children Centre core offer. Thus ensuring a Swift and Easy Referral procedure for all children, young people and their families.

Barley Mow Cookery Club

The Barley Mow Cookery Club is as popular as ever and the Year 6 children look forward to their turn every week. They do not only learn about cookery but about health, safety and hygiene and also the nutritional value of some of the food.

To read more click on the link below:

Download file Barley Mow Cookery Club

Check back here for more information on the services and activities taking place in the Lord Lawson Cluster soon.