Winning Post Graduation Ceremony
The Rowley Mile Racecourse plays host to the inaugural Winning Post Graduation Ceremony.
Since its doors officially opened in March 2005, pupils from Scaltback Middle School and St Felix Middle School are amongst those from Newmarket and the wider West Suffolk and East Cambridgeshire area, who have benefited from the additional out of hours Study Support offered by the teaching staff at The Winning Post as part of a national education scheme called Playing for Success.
Situated within the grounds of the National Stud, The Winning Post; funded by a unique partnership between Suffolk County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, the DfES, the National Stud and managed by the ITFC Community Trust; seeks to support schools in raising academic attainment within the areas of literacy, numeracy and ICT.
Each student takes part in a horseracing themed curriculum along the lines of the football based scheme operating at Ipswich Town Football Club, where sport is used as the motivating factor.
Fran Griffith, Winning Post Study Centre Teacher, had a relatively short time between starting in January 2005 and the doors of the Centre opening in March to develop the specialist horse themed curriculum. She has enjoyed every minute and said, "The feedback already received from the relatively few schools who have completed the programme since we opened has been fantastic and the buzz both the kids and staff have got from working in this unique environment has been beneficial for all to see."
Over 150 students aged between 9 and 14 have already benefited during the Centre's relatively short lifespan and the Rowley Mile Graduation is an opportunity for family and friends to share in and celebrate their children's achievements. Newmarket Racecourses have kindly provided the facilities for the event and have been active partners in the venture since it started, providing access to all of the pupils who have taken part in the Playing for Success scheme into both the July and Rowley Mile Racecourses.
Matt Try, Learning Coordinator, ITFC Community Trust, who lead the bid to establish The Winning Post Study Centre said, "It may have been a long haul getting the Study Centre to this point, but to finally see the first group of children graduating through will demonstrate its worth as an additional tool to run alongside the excellent work achieved by the local schools."
The Winning Post staff would also like to thank Newmarket Equine Security, Greenwood Ellis and Partners Equine Veterinary Surgeons and Rossdale and Partners Veterinary Surgeons for kindly sponsoring the students special awards for outstanding effort and achievement.
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