We reveal the connection between good grades at Ashfield Boys Secondary in Northern Ireland, and Alton Towers theme park.
A trip to Alton Towers and better GCSE grades are potent forces driving 20 students at Ashfield Boys Secondary School back into the classroom at the end of a long school day.
All students who come to the after-schools project, who behave well and regularly attend are rewarded for their commitment. This term they will be off to enjoy the thrills and spills of Alton Towers including the awsome "oblivion" ride.
Using £45,218 from the New Opportunities Fund, the school has extended computer facilities, offered pupils additional teaching support and developed the project aimed at year 12 students.
All subjects studied at the school are available on Thursday afternoons, pupils who attend are keen to stress that it is by choice.
William Ginn (16) has his heart set on joining the Royal Marines when he leaves school. He believes the chance to study at the New Opportunities Fund project will help him reach his dream. "If I didn't come here I would probably not get an exam or as good marks, which means I wouldn't get the job that I want," William said. The after-schools project works well for William and others because it provides "peaceful surroundings, which means you are getting more work done and gathering more information for yourself."
Jason Scott (16) admits when he gets home, studying for GCSEs is the last thing on his mind. "I've always been hyper, a wee bit. I'd sit down for about five minutes and then I'd get up and go back and sit down for another ten minutes and get backup," he said.
Jason, who wants to stay on in school to gain a sport's related qualification at GNVQ or "A" level said the Fund project, "is making me go to school and do more work towards my exams and that will help me study more when it comes to the time of the exams." In the past, like many other schools, Ashfield Boys Secondary set in east Belfast faced problems of truancy, behaviour and poor exam results.
According to Ashfield Fund coordinator Christine Thompson, the after-school project has helped to combat these problems throughout the school. "The rest of the school has benefited. The younger ones are seeing this as a good thing to aim for; their behaviour has to improve, right down through the school, if they want to be included in this sort of group, they also benefit from the extra computers in the school," she said.
Developing self-confidence and raising self-esteem are positive by-products of the Fund project at Ashfield.
William said "it has boosted my self-confidence; you're walking about, talking to people, I used to be terrible at that but I am better at it now."
Self-assessment is a key part of the project. Pupils keep a record of the lessons they attend and note any areas they find problematic. This information is taken into account when teachers plan the next lesson. "We have got the teachers" support to take the extra lessons and the kids are all eager, they all want to come in. Any help we get we'll grab it," Christine Thompson said.
"The more funding we get, the more we can do for them."
About the team
This article was produced by Lisa Skinner, 17, Thomas Kielty, 15, and Sharon Armstrong, 13. It was published in Step by Step, a joint publication with the New Opportunities Fund in Northern Ireland.
