Children in Year 4 at Grace Darling Primary gave their bikes an important safety check, dusted off their helmets and checked they fitted securely before working with Marcus from the Cycle Partnership to complete their level 1 Bikeability training in school.

Bikeability is the only UK Government recognised cycle training scheme funded by the Department for Transport and is designed to teach pupils the skills and confidence to cycle safely. Bikeability Level 1 aims to develop cycle handling in an off-road environment and prepare riders for cycling on the road.

Marcus was very impressed with the behaviour and positive attitudes displayed by all the children and thoroughly enjoyed his day at Grace Darling. Each child who took part successfully completed the assessment and will receive a Bikeability Level 1 badge and certificate.

A new community reading service is helping to bring stories to life for pupils and parents at a primary school in South East Northumberland.

Designed to engage children in the concept of ‘reading for pleasure’, the weekly Story Club at Grace Darling C of E Primary School in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea explores different ways to access stories, such as through local libraries and also online.

The popular sessions are hosted by representatives from the Community Reading Partnership, a new initiative which has seen a number of community hubs created within the local area, designed to improve people’s mental health and wellbeing through encouraging them to read.

While Story Club is available exclusively to pupils and parents of pupils who attend the school, the community hubs are open to all and welcome readers of all ages to each session, who come together to talk about reading, discover new books, meet likeminded individuals and find escapism through literature.

Mrs Sharon Cole, Co-Headteacher at Grace Darling C of E Primary School, commented:

“Reading is a huge part of our curriculum at Grace Darling so getting involved with the new Reading Partnership programme within Newbiggin was a great fit for us.

“From the moment that our pupils enter Nursery, we actively encourage interaction with stories and nursery rhymes and it is our ambition that by the time our children leave Year 2, they are all fluent, independent readers.

“Our pupils are all really enjoying their weekly Story Club and it’s wonderful to see so many parents coming along to participate in the sessions too, many of whom are also accessing the community-based Reading Partnership sessions and taking that little bit of time for themselves to focus on their health and wellbeing.”

The Community Reading Partnership was pioneered and continues to be part-funded by Ann Cleeves, best-selling author of the popular detective series, ‘Vera’.

Having delivered a keynote speech at the Regional Public Health England Conference about the therapeutic value of reading and its ability to improve people’s health and wellbeing, Ann joined forces with Local Authorities and Public Health England to get the Community Reading Partnership off the ground – creating 9 new roles for Community Reading Workers within the North East alone.

Jane Sampson and Sarah Carlson are the Community Reading Workers responsible for the sessions hosted around Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. They said:

“It has been wonderful getting to know the staff, pupils and parents at Grace Darling Primary as well as members of the wider community within Newbiggin over the past few weeks and we’re delighted to see already the impact that the sessions are having on people’s confidence and wellbeing.

“Our reader-centred approach is designed to support readers of all ages and abilities to discover new titles which appeal to their interests, and help them to relax and unwind in a safe and welcoming environment.”

For more information about the community reading sessions at The Hive in East Lea and the Arts Centre in Newbiggin, on Front Street and Gibson Street, contact read@northumberland.gov.uk. To find out more about Grace Darling C of E Primary School, visit www.gracedarling.ncea.org.uk.

NCEAT’s primary schools, including Grace Darling, have been recognised in the UK’s top 50 schools for Accelerated Reader usage.

Accelerated Reader is an online platform which supports pupils’ reading skills. When they first start using the platform, pupils complete a STAR reading test which gives them a level based on their reading ability and advises on the books they should be reading. This allows teachers to ensure that pupils are challenged with an appropriate text and develops their reading fluency.

Once they have finished reading their book, they can then complete a comprehension quiz to assess whether they have understood what they have read. This gives teachers valuable information about pupils reading ages and also reading comprehension ability.

Prior to the summer holidays, the primary schools within the Trust had a big push on reading for pleasure, encouraging pupils to read at home with parents and carers. This push has seen pupils carry out over 28,537 Accelerated Reader quizzes online since August – that’s 28,537 books read across Bishop’s, Grace Darling, James Knott, Thomas Bewick and William Leech C of E Primary Schools!

Jack Christophers, Director of Literacy, commented:

“We’re absolutely blown away by what our pupils have achieved through Accelerated Reader. The statistics speak for themselves – our pupils have put in an amazing amount of effort and we’re extremely proud of each and every one of them.”

To find out more about reading in the primary curriculum, visit our Reading Corner!

Pupils at Grace Darling C of E Primary School in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Duke’s Secondary School in Ashington have welcomed a very special visitor, The Right Reverend Mark Wroe, Bishop of Berwick.

Formerly the Archdeacon of Northumberland,the Right Reverend Mark Wroe was installed as the Suffragan Bishop of Berwick in January this year – only the second person to have received the title in living memory after the Diocese of Newcastle resurrected the role in 2016 following a 444 year hiatus.

Serving the areas between the Tyne and Tweed rivers, the Bishop’s role is vast and varied. Having been consecrated during the Covid-19 pandemic, this visit has been one of the first opportunities for the Right Rev. Mark to get out to meet some of the children and young people in the South East of the county.

During his visit, the Bishop was treated to a tour of the full Grace Darling C of E Primary School campus, visiting each class in turn to view their displays and find out how they were settling back into school after the summer holidays. He met with the school’s ‘Gardening Gang’ who look after the school’s outdoor spaces and spoke with staff about the school’s involvement in the Thrive programme for promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in children.

On arriving at the Duke’s Secondary School campus in the afternoon, the Bishop met with the school’s Principal, Russ Atkinson, and was shown around some of the classrooms where Covid-19 catch up sessions were taking place for students in critical exam years. The day was rounded off with a meeting of school leaders from across Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust (to which Grace Darling C of E Primary School and Duke’s Secondary School are members).

Commenting on his visit, the Right Reverend Mark Wroe, said:

“I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve seen today. The resilience that has been shown by teachers and pupils during what has been an incredibly challenging time for schools is just amazing and it’s great to see how people have come together to support each other. I’d like to thank Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust for having me today and I’ll look forward to visiting again in future.”

Alan Hardie, CEO at Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, added:

“It was wonderful to have Bishop Mark with us today. At NCEAT, we value our close working relationship with the Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham and it is always a pleasure to host members of the clergy at our schools.”

For more information about Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, visit www.ncea.org.uk.