Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East
Thurrock, has once again thrown his support behind the Basildon Education
Services Trust’s (BEST) annual Basildon Challenge for schools.
At a meeting with Director of BEST, Patrick White, Mr
Metcalfe was given the rundown of this year’s challenge which sees local
primary schools compete in a number of educational challenges throughout the
year.
The focus of this year’s challenge is the elements that make
up Basildon. The challenges include a Maths and Enterprise challenge which will
see the pupils plan a business venture, a literacy challenge where students
will rewrite a children’s book to be set in Basildon, and a local study
challenge which will result in pieces of work celebrating the town.
Mr Metcalfe has been patron of BEST for over two years and
has commended the Challenge to pupils, parents, and BEST school staff. He
commented: “It was brilliant to catch up with Patrick and to hear his vision
for this year’s Basildon Challenge. We want to see a generation of young
people who are articulate, thoughtful, and ambitious for themselves and the
community and the Basildon Challenge provides an excellent means of promoting
these values.”
“I hope it will also instil a sense of pride in the local
area. Basildon is a fantastic place with so much going for it and I have no
doubt that this will be reflected in the children’s work. I would like to thank
BEST for their ongoing hard work to drive up educational standards in the local
area and I look forward to supporting the Basildon Challenge in whatever way I
can.”
Basildon schools have made progress over the past year, both
in terms of OfSTED results and in terms of achievement at Key Stages 1 and 2.
Viewed by OfSTED as a way of broadening and deepening access to the curriculum
in a challenging and exciting way, BEST have no doubt played a key role in this
success.
For further information about this year’s Basildon
Challenge, please see: http://www.basildonbest.org.uk/
