May 2010 Update

11 May 2010

The Aldridge Foundation announces sponsorship Academy in Portslade

Adding to our existing sponsorships of Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA), Lancashire, and Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA), the Foundation is delighted to announce that it is has now received a Statement of Intent from the DCSF, for the Foundation to sponsor a new Academy to replace Portslade Community College in Brighton & Hove.  To open in September 2011 in the existing building, a major refurbishment will be completed by September 2014. The Foundation is to act as the lead sponsor, with the local authority as co-sponsor, and the University of Sussex as educational partner.  The Academy will feature entrepreneurship as the first specialism, with the second specialism expected to be science.

The Foundation and its partners will now work with the DCSF Academies Group to consult with local communities and to create an Expression of Interest for the proposed Academy, with a view to receiving Ministerial approval to move into the feasibility phase.  For Rod Aldridge, to be sponsor of Portslade Community College is particularly exciting, having attended this school as a boy!

For more information on Aldridge Academies, contact:
sally.ritchie@aldridgefoundation.com
 

Aldridge Academies awarded Connecting Classrooms funding from British Council

The Aldridge Foundation was delighted to be selected to co-ordinate a UK cluster as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme.  Comprising DACA, Falmer High School (soon to become BACA) and Patcham High School in Brighton, the Foundation will oversee a link built with two partner clusters in two different countries within Sub-Saharan Africa.  The link will feature entrepreneurship, and will put our young students at the heart of designing international programmes which will involve nine schools across three countries in the first year, growing to 27 schools across three countries by 2012!  The programme directly links to the Foundation’s Opening Eyes programme, which seeks to broaden young people’s horizons by building international links.

For more information on Opening Eyes, our international work, and opportunities to fund our students on overseas trips with a difference, contact:
elizabeth.anderson@aldridgefoundation.com


Teenagers offered chance to make their lives their business 

Last month saw young people aged 16-19 from Blackburn and Darwen signing up to the second wave of My Life Is My Business, a new resource teaching them how to set up their own enterprise.  During the eight month course, each participant will be given personal development training and support from locally based volunteer life coaches. In addition they’ll get expert advice on entrepreneurship from business mentors and inspirational speakers including Rod Aldridge, founder of the FTSE 100 company Capita, Claire Young (finalist on TV show The Apprentice), Andy Pickles (deputy chairman of the Music Factory Group) and Lee Blake who set up the 50fifty youth clothing brand.

For more information on My Life is My Business, contact:
petra.coveney@aldridgefoundation.com