inner city state school sailing

Whilst it works for them and I'll admit to being a bit jealous (free sailing anyone?) I'd love to promulgate their finance model to as many schools as possible.

If they can run a bunch of yachts for their pupils then plenty of other state schools can afford to fund major sporting activities for the development of their pupils. Does anyone know how they fund their sports?
 
I have only heard the official version , the kids did a lot of fundrising. Good for them, no sarcasm intended.
BTW, I have two teenagers at home, have been involved in various fundrising activities for extracurricular activites for underpriviledge children, as were my also my own children. The amounts we (parents, and children working together) raised over the years, would never finance one boat, never mind a fleet.
But then, I live in rural Wales.
 
langstonelayabout said:
Whilst it works for them and I'll admit to being a bit jealous (free sailing anyone?) I'd love to promulgate their finance model to as many schools as possible.

If they can run a bunch of yachts for their pupils then plenty of other state schools can afford to fund major sporting activities for the development of their pupils. Does anyone know how they fund their sports?
Click to expand...

They are an academy. I have a friend who has just been made head of a new inner city academy in a poor part of a coastal city famous for sailing. His philosophy is to have no school sports teams or group activities (they have installed an expensively equipped gym) no library (quote "they can use the city library if they want books, otherwise they can find everything on the web"). Large amounts of money have been spent on installing massive screens everywhere, which are not used for any purpose other than decoration. Money is also spent on sponsoring a local basketball team. The point i'm trying to get across, is that there is plenty on money there for these schools, it just depends on the philosophy of the person in charge. I have suggested to my friend, that given their access to one of the best sailing areas in the country, it would be a good idea for his school to do something similar to Greig school. He has no interest whatsover.
 
There has been access to sailing available to inner city schools for decades via the Ocean Youth Club.

My bog standard ( in every sense ! ) comprehensive in inland West Sussex had free week - long dinghy courses staying in the log cabin at Cobnor, Chichester Harbour, I went on a couple and learned and enjoyed a lot.
 
Just along the road used to be the Arethusa Activity Centre at Upnor.
In between Upnor Yacht Club and Medway Yacht Club.
Coaches frequently disengorged a whole bunch of what were obviously inner city youngsters down for the weekend.
The following day they could be seen flying around en mass in some tiny little sailing dinghies out on the river.
Also sorts of other activities were held at the centre, swimming pool and climbing wall
Now all lying empty as the charity has shut the place down, no funding.
 
Just along the road used to be the Arethusa Activity Centre at Upnor.
In between Upnor Yacht Club and Medway Yacht Club.
Coaches frequently disengorged a whole bunch of what were obviously inner city youngsters down for the weekend.
The following day they could be seen flying around en mass in some tiny little sailing dinghies out on the river.
Also sorts of other activities were held at the centre, swimming pool and climbing wall
Now all lying empty as the charity has shut the place down, no funding.https://www.shaftesburyyoungpeople.org/public-announcement-closure-of-the-arethusa-venture-centre.html#

The ship went back to Germany for full restoration a year or two ago.
 
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True, but I think the renovation aspect of the project is every bit as useful for these kids as the actual sailing.
 
oldgit said:
Just along the road used to be the Arethusa Activity Centre at Upnor.
In between Upnor Yacht Club and Medway Yacht Club.
Coaches frequently disengorged a whole bunch of what were obviously inner city youngsters down for the weekend.
The following day they could be seen flying around en mass in some tiny little sailing dinghies out on the river.
Also sorts of other activities were held at the centre, swimming pool and climbing wall
Now all lying empty as the charity has shut the place down, no funding.https://www.shaftesburyyoungpeople.org/public-announcement-closure-of-the-arethusa-venture-centre.html#

The ship went back to Germany for full restoration a year or two ago.
Click to expand...

That is so sad. Years ago, my dad worked as an instructor at Drakes Island, in Plymouth. At the time it was an adventure centre for boys, and used to do all sorts of stuff; sailing, canoeing, climbing, walks on Dartmoor etc. I have fond memories of spending a summer there as a young kid. Sadly, it closed long ago, a victim of the education spending cuts.
 
At Cobnor we had the late, lovely Jenny Boone as instructor; she'd give a morning lesson on sailing theory, then say

" Right Boys, I want you all on the hard ( slipway ) in ten minutes "

- Imagine the effect on a bunch of sniggering schoolboys...

I've since learned from someone who knew her she may not have been quite as innocent as I imagined, it was probably a deliberate in-joke :)

I wonder if sailing clubs could offer schools some sailing instruction as a way of boosting funds and activity, some youngsters would probably stay interested and join - I'm sure there would be loads of ' safeguarding ' things to get past but maybe it's an idea ?
 
There is a lot of money in education.
The academies have had a lot of money thrown at them as government has been determined to make the system work.
But it's rotten to the core.
Even a small school has a big budget. A medium size school could find he cash for a yacht quite easily if they were prepared to economise elsewhere.
Is this academy doing its core job of teaching the national curriculum perfectly?
Would the money be better spent elsewhere?
One school can afford its own yacht, meanwhile the Jubilee Sailing Trust is on the rocks.y

There is also a lot of money available for things like sailing, if people are prepared to apply for lottery grants and jump through hoops. A lot of the problem is there are dozens of rival sailing charities. And a whole industry of salaried charity managers and consultants.

It's all gone mad.
 
There is a lot of money in education.
The academies have had a lot of money thrown at them as government has been determined to make the system work.
But it's rotten to the core.

I had little knowledge of the academy system, until talking to my friend, who is head of a new academy. I was truly shocked at what I learnt. He has no teaching qualifictions, only 'management' experience. He can spend money as he wishes, with little accountability. Some of the stuff he is spending money on has little, or no, educational value. They don't even have to stick to the national curriculum. This is, in my opinion, a national scandal, I'm surprised that there is not more discussion of it
 
For some reason, the press has chosen not to wind people up about it.
Considering the amount that gets written about 'privatising the NHS', very little is written about academies, which have effectively privatised huge swathes of state education.
 
lw395 said:
For some reason, the press has chosen not to wind people up about it.
Considering the amount that gets written about 'privatising the NHS', very little is written about academies, which have effectively privatised huge swathes of state education.
Click to expand...

The only problem is that this is still tax-payer funded. So, therefore, paid for by the tax-payer, but accountable to nobody except themselves. A disastrous situation
 
It's not true that they are accountable to 'nobody', OFSTED still plays its role.
However I have heard a few people predicting the system will be in deep trouble within 5 years or so, for various reasons.
 
lw395 said:
It's not true that they are accountable to 'nobody', OFSTED still plays its role.
However I have heard a few people predicting the system will be in deep trouble within 5 years or so, for various reasons.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are correct, I got a little bit carried away! I am interested to see how my friends school does in the OFSTED. If I was an inspector, I would take a very dim view of a school that has no formal PE programme, no team sports, and no library
 
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