By Mr Will Scott, Principal at Dame Allan's Schools, Newcastle
If there is one thing that the North East embodies, it is community spirit – which has recently been seen in full force as Newcastle United Football Club celebrates their first trophy win in 70 years!
Geordies especially are known for being a friendly bunch, and as a Newcastlebased School Principal, I see everyday how our pupils make friends and support each other through the – sometimes challenging – teenage experience, as well as look further afield as to how they can support others outside of the school.
It’s an established fact that having a shared goal or cause helps to unite employees within a business, and it is no different within a school community too. That supportive charitable spirit is something we champion inside and outside of Dame Allan’s. We’re passionate about supporting our local community, as well as developing our pupils into well-rounded, empathetic, and kind-hearted people.
Partnerships are woven throughout both the Junior and Senior School, starting with something as simple as non-uniform fundraising for Children in Need, or helping to litter pick and plant a garden in the school grounds. All of these things model for pupils the power of coming together as a force for collective good, where a community thrives by helping each other.
In the Senior School, charitable acts and fundraising continue to be embedded in the culture. Pupils host bake sales and collect for food banks, supporting local and national charities whilst helping to educate each other on important causes such as food and hygiene poverty. In the Sixth Form, students can choose to take part in regular volunteering placements. From schools, to Women’s Centres, local charities, and care homes, our students understand how giving their time, skills, and often just a listening ear, can have a big impact on those around us.
Consider, is there an organisation in the North East who would make a natural partnership for your business? For example, our academic partnerships too come from reciprocal and long-standing relationships with some of the North East’s most-respected cultural institutions. We have long worked with Dance City to give our dancers the chance to perform on a professional stage, as well as with local businesses such as The Alnwick Garden and Sage Wealth Management, to support events with a tailored performance from our dancers. Not only was this fantastic entertainment for guests at Sage’s event, it was a wonderful opportunity for our dancers to perform live in a challenging new environment; a win-win some might say!
Similarly within our drama department. our longstanding relationship with the People’s Theatre sees our pupils star in a multitude of local productions: we help them to find the next generation of talented young performers, and the Theatre offers them invaluable performing opportunities. In sport, our partnership with the Newcastle Eagles basketball team sees regular guest coaches offer training at Dame Allan’s, offering our young athletes that chance to learn from the pros, and the Club the chance to inspire a new generation of basketball stars, and raise the local profile of the game. We have also recently launched a partnership with Tynedale Rugby Club, again helping to both boost the profile of the club, whilst offering dedicated coaching to our dedicated young rugby players.
It is important to the school that we are not just an insular community. Any school, or business, operates as a vital cog in the local community, and so has the potential to make positive change within that space. I applaud any local business or institution that supports local charities, shares skills, or offers work placements to young people – it’s those small, supportive acts that make the North East such a special place to live, work, and grow.
Find out more at dameallans.co.uk
