SPARK AP

A weekly round up of some of our recent outdoor learning trips!

Exploring Thor’s Cave, Climbing The Malvern Hills, and roaming Saltwells

Onto our final week until summer ☀️

It’s been a week of ☀️ and outdoor adventures for our students

Starting off with a 10-mile walk from Dudley to Wolverhampton 🛤️

With a trip to Baggeridge in the sun, and a return visit to Bumble Hole late last week we have made the most of the weather

SPARK Weekly Walk #10 -

Today we revisited the Wolverhampton Railway Walk 🛤️

Taking a detour from the normal route, we found ourselves greeted with beautiful canals, greenery and local wildlife (Fred included 🐾)

SPARK Weekly Walk #9 - Wrens Nest

Welcome back! We had our first outdoor learning visit of the new term to Wrens Nest Nature Reserve 🌲

Here there was plenty to climb and explore with fossils galore🐚

For our end of term reward trip we took students to The Black Country Living Museum 🏭

Here we explored the exhibitions, the 1960’s street, the factories, houses and much, much more!

Thank you to students, staff, and parents and carers for a great term - see you all back soon

SPARK Weekly Walk #8 -

For this weeks walk we decided to take a trip down the old railway tracks near Wombourne 🛤️

Here we saw some great graffiti, beautiful nature and discovered some local history - with Charles II using the route for his escape in 1651!

This week is mental health awareness week

The theme for this year is movement: moving more for your mental health

Regular physical activity is known to improve mental health, quality of life, and wellbeing.

It also helps prevent and treat heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer, and more.

Despite these benefits being well established, over a third of the UK do not meet the recommended amount of activity.

For this week try and get some movement in with football, a run, or walking the dog - it might help more than you realise

Wolverhampton City Council and Wolverhampton Family Hubs is running a Father’s Group for all fathers and male carers for a regular coffee morning to share and talk about fatherhood.

Dates below - share to those who might be interested

SPARK Weekly Walk #7 -

Today we visited the Delph Locks (9 locks) in Brierley Hill

First opened in 1779, its final lock marks the border between the Dudley and Stourbridge canals

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend from the SPARK team (feat some West Park residents)

We will be back next week for a trip to an important part of Black Country history!

SPARK Weekly Walk #6 -

Today we went to sunny Shrewsbury as part of our ‘town’ visit for our community project ☀️

We explored the castle, prison, and historic streets

SPARK Weekly Walk #5 -

Today we visited Bumble Hole nature reserve and Penderford Mill nature reserve 🌿

Both these include natural beauty and historical significance which aided our students in their ongoing community project

As part of our community project we visited a market town - Bridgnorth

We explored the castle ruins, the museum, high street, market, church and cliff railway 🚡

A great day in the spring sun☀️

Yesterday we had the youth justice team visit us with the Turn around VR: Knife Crime Session

The session saw our students partake in a workshop surrounding a narrative where knife crime is a threat

Through VR, this narrative was explored and decisions were made that could result in both positive and negative outcomes.

A great workshop our students loved. Thank you to our visitors!

SPARK Weekly Walk #4 -

Today we braved the rain and focused on our community project - taking a trip down to look at the local community of the canal.

We were welcomed back from our Easter break with an amazing art piece from one of our students!

This impromptu piece explores some of the things that make SPARK unique, engaging and primed to ignite success🎆

Thank you to the student for the kind gesture, and great art skills showcased

Back to it, with an upcoming trip to the railway walk🛤️

On our last day before the Easter break we took a walk around the lake at Himley Hall

Seems like spring is finally here

To all our students, staff and community - have a great Easter 🐣

This terms SPARK reward trip was to West Midland Safari Park 🦁

Those who met the SPARK point requirements had a great day meeting the many residents of the park and having a go on a few wild rides!🎢

A collection of some sustainable houses and farms (plus a music studio) made through Minecraft Education 🍃

Some greats builds

Last week we had a visit from the WMPCC regarding ‘Stop & Search’

This workshop covered: the reasons and sections stated for a stop and search, your rights, and some key facts regarding a practice that is becoming more commonly seen

Our students really engaged with the speaker and we thank WMPCC for the visit

Reflexions present Craft ‘N’ Chat a free drop in event for children, young people and their parents and carers🎨🖌️

Anytime drop in between 10:30 and 14:30 27th March and 3rd April

Located in - Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Activities include paining, sculptures, collage, and the chance to speak to mental health practitioners to help support your child’s wellbeing

Today is International Women's Day!

A day to celebrate all the incredible and inspiring women in our lives and those who shaped the past.

SPARK is women-led and owes a huge amount to our collaborators and wider community of women.

These women are strong and have degrees, children, hobbies, dreams, and the power and desire to inspire future generations of women in Wolverhampton and the wider world 🌎

SPARK Weekly Walk #3 -

Thors Cave 🔨

A gem of the Peak District ⛰️

During the ice age this cave sheltered bears and other large animals

Humans used the cave as shelter as far back as 11,000 years ago

SPARK Weekly Walk #2-

Brown Clee Hill 🗻

540m above sea level Brown Clee Hill is the highest point in Shropshire

Including the ruins of an Iron Age fort

Today’s food tech saw us making some stuffed peppers with couscous and cheese 🧀

A first time try for a majority of our students and a quick and tasty meal to try at home

SPARK Weekly Walk #1 -

In this new series, we document our weekly outdoor learning trips around the many wonders of the midlands🌲

First, a regular for us…the Wrekin -

An iconic sight for those traversing the m24, the Wrekin is a hill with a summit over 400m above sea level.

A great but incredibly windy day (as shown by Olive)🐶

In today’s digital age, young people are exposed to a vast array of information that can be harmful and a safety risk.

It is important to understand different avenues of virtual exploration people may take by understanding the layers of the World Wide Web.

The clear web is where most will spend their time using reputable guidance based browsers and websites such as google and bing.

The deep web is the next level with websites not indexed by search engines that almost always require passwords to enter - this can be dangerous for fishing scams and data mines but mostly harmless.

The dark web is restricted and most key, anonymous content. This is where the dark and illegal content can be found.

To keep safe and ensure the safety of a young person you know or in your care -

Communicate…let them know of risks and dangers

Monitor…make sure to listen out for buzzwords mentioned

Act…if suspicious then act and speak to the young person about your concerns

For more information visit - https://www.spiceworks.com/it-security/security-general/articles/dark-web-vs-deep-web/amp/

SPARK supporting local week #1 -

Base25 have been supporting young people, families, and children in Wolverhampton and supporting areas since 1998.

They help design a package of support that enables the individual to best achieve their goals.

This can include Emotional wellbeing, behaviour management, empower and DA awareness and support.

Contact them now through - www.base25.org

NSPCC Game Safe Festival is a collaboration of developers, platforms, industry bodies, esports and influencers to play and act for a better way to game!

Between 5-11 Febuary there are online events parents and carers can join to better understand why young people game and how to keep them safe online.

www.nspcc.org.ukcharity-events/game-safe-festival/

Throughout 2024 Flu vaccines are available for school aged children at free walk in clinics.

Below is a list of clinic dates, times, and locations

For further information visit -

www.schoolvaccination.uk