Homework Clubs: A Helping Hand

The Homework Clubs are an excellent opportunity for young people age 9 to 16 to beat their fears about homework. Young people receive free support and help with their homework from trained and friendly helpers. The Homework Clubs are situated at Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb Libraries and the ideal setting provides a quiet working area.

There are also a range of resources available such as books to borrow, educational CD-Roms, free internet facilities for homework research and free photocopying and printing. There is also a range of educational worksheets and activities available if the young people have completed all of their homework.

Laura from Whitehawk Homework Club: "The club is fun and if you don't know something the Homework Club workers can help you finish it and give you good advice."
Sian: "I go to do my homework and see friends."
Dale: "The club is wicked, smashing and in the zone."

There has recently been a French day at both the Moulsecoomb and Whitehawk Homework Clubs which was very successful. Everyone enjoyed the day, there was French music and food, everyone practiced the French language and learnt about French culture. Look out for the Homework Clubs' Spanish day, which will be coming to your library soon! The H Club takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3.30pm to 5pm and Saturdays 11am to 12.30 at both Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb Libraries.

BT Schools Awards

Falmer School is just one of the 325 schools across the UK who have received a visit from the BT Education programme. British Telecom put 1% of their pre tax profit back into the community, the BT Schools Awards is an example of how some of this money is spent. The BT School Awards have been running for four years and involves providing drama workshops to a number of schools. Every school receives a DVD player and a DVD disc about Citizenship for taking part.

The BT team gave an excellent performance to the new students in Year 7 at Falmer School. They presented a drama show which highlighted how bullying can effect young people. The students then took part in workshops, which made them think about the issues that had arisen in the show. The performance showed the children how bullying can effect their peers and how awful it can be to make someone feel excluded and left out. The show also got the children to consider the issues of living in a multi-cultural society.

Margaret Mitchell, a teacher at Falmer school: "The workshops are very dramatic, the students were engaged and got caught up in the atmosphere, it really made the children think." The skills that the schools gain from these impressive drama workshops help schools plan for the BT Schools Awards, which offer 240 cash awards of £2,000. To get the £2,000 the school has to put an application forward which incorporates an idea for a citizenship project. Good luck to Falmer school with their application.

Written by Marina O' Mahony.