AVONDALE EXTRA
A LOCAL CHARITY FOR LOCAL CHILDREN
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1094749
IN A NUTSHELL
Avondale Extra was founded in 2002 by local people to benefit the children of Avondale Park Primary School.
The aim of the charity is to broaden the children's experience and create lifelong interests by funding the sort of out of school activities that more privileged children take for granted. We sponsor extra-curricular activities which include sports, the arts, educational excursions and residential trips.
All the work is done voluntarily and Avondale Extra is proud of the fact that we have no salaries to pay and virtually no overheads.
ABOUT AVONDALE EXTRA
Avondale Extra exists to support the children of Avondale Park and St Anne's Federation of Schools in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Despite excellent provision made by the Borough, many of our children still lack the extras that can make such a difference. The founders identified a real need for a wider education and inspiration for the children and because of the very limited funds of the parents, there is need for support from local people.
It was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in 2002 number 1094749.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Avondale Park and St Anne's Federation of Schools has over 400 pupils aged from 3 to 11 years.
They speak about 42 languages other than English and 71% do not speak English as their first language.
Despite being in one of the wealthiest boroughs in the country, the school lies within an area of tower blocks with one third of our families living in inadequate or overcrowded households with little safe space to play .
More than one quarter of our children have special educational, social, emotional or behavioural needs.
Some of our children have never visited the countryside or the coast and some have little or no opportunity to go out of the immediate area. Many have no access to live theatre or music and cannot afford sport and other activities out of school.
AVONDALE EXTRA HAS FUNDED
Annual residential activity weeks for 40 children by the sea
Creation of 3 gardens in the playground:
- a growing garden for fruit and vegetables - a wildlife garden - a quiet garden
Excursions to London museums and other cultural sights
Breakfast Club which provides a healthy breakfast with books and games before school
Playground and sports equipment
Book corners in each classroom and individual books for children to keep
Visiting music, drama and science workshops
Trips to the theatre, ballet and pantomime
Expeditions to farms, gardens and London Zoo
Sponsorship of children to take part in W11 Opera
River trips
Clubs including cookery and sewing, guitar and drumming, chess, drama, taekwondo and many others
HOW AVONDALE EXTRA WORKS
Nearly all our generous benefactors live locally and so understand the challenges the school faces and the difference that extras can make in a child's life. We fundraise through appeals by letter and the occasional event at the school. We have also received good support from local independent schools.
The trustees meet twice a term to look at the accounts and consider the applications from teachers for clubs, trips and projects.
The largest annual commitment is the residential trip for the children at the top of the school (aged 10 and 11) to a centre in the country or by the sea for 5 days. Each family is asked to contribute a small percentage while Avondale Extra pays the rest including the cost of two coaches there and back.
For many children this is the first time they have stayed away from home and some have never been to the English countryside or the sea.
The cost of the trip is high but the benefits to the children are enormous.
OUTCOMES
By helping to provide a wide variety of clubs, outings, facilities and opportunities for the children, Avondale Extra makes a huge difference to the quality of the children's lives.
We often receive expressive and touching accounts of the children's experiences, thanking Avondale Extra for making it all happen.
A DVD of the annual residential trip not only shows some of the physical challenges that the children are given but also the sheer pleasure of being by the sea and in the fresh air with lots of space.
The children who take part in W11 Opera learn about classical music often for the first time and about performance in a disciplined framework with other children from many different backgrounds. For the parents too, it can be their first experience of opera.
The Gardening Club which takes place in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden provides an opportunity to learn about plants and propagation in a specially built area. The children are able to grow vegetables which they can take home to cook.
Jazz Week, which has been supported by AX for many years, takes place after Year 6' s final exams before they move on to secondary school. Each year we see children learn to enjoy music and performance. We believe that by providing opportunities for exploring new interests and hobbies, we are putting down roots and foundations which can last a lifetime.
PROJECTS
One of our projects has been to create a Reading Room. As the school had no library, we wanted to encourage a love of reading by making a space which is welcoming and comfortable. This is now in daily use with about 2000 books, a mix of fiction and fact. On the walls are framed illustrations by well-known children's book illustrators.
We are indebted to the following for their generous support for The Reading Room: Giveabook.org.uk, Alexandra Nash, The Ask Charitable Trust, Wetherby School, Pembridge Hall School and The Farrer-Brown Charitable Trust.
We are currently receiving invaluable support from Notting Hill Prep for a number of projects for which we are most grateful. Our children have so many challenges including the knock-on effects of the Grenfell fire and now Covid, and we see it as a priority to do anything we can to encourage interest and activities for the children.
Trips out of school cannot take place now but Year 4 is planning a Harry Potter Day at school, for example, and there is a plan to introduce plants into every classroom whilst outdoor sports clubs are still active. We always have a need for new books to replace old tattered ones and as new ones are published.
Breakfast Club which provides a healthy breakfast for children who might not otherwise get this and for the children of working parents also needs financial support.
GRENFELL
The fire of June 2017 had a truly devastating effect on the school, lying as it does a few hundred metres from Grenfell Tower. Two Avondale families, including a member of staff, lost their lives and 4 families escaped and were in temporary housing for months. Other families were evacuated from nearby housing. Most saw the fire on the night and watched in horror.
Many, many local friends and those from further afield gave money generously and the school was able to use these donations in lots of ways to support the families and children affected.
As a permanent memorial to Grenfell, we have commissioned a large mosaic to cover a wall in the playground. The design is based on our children's drawings of the local area and Grenfell Tower. The words 'Forever in our Hearts,' written about the school by one of our children who died, are included.
AVONDALE EXTRA
Avondale Park and St Anne's Federation of Schools
Sirdar Road
LONDON
W11 4EE
0207 727 7727
TRUSTEES AND COMMITTEE
Cassie Goldman (Chair)
Ben McMullen (Headteacher)
Theresa Wat Wong (Accounts)
*
Jenny Downie
Jasmine Dellal
Lisa Ryan
Brid Rodgers
Anja Sonksen
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1094749
Bank details: Avondale Extra
Lloyds Bank
Sort code: 30-96-19
Account: 19782760
Illustration and website design by Melissa Greenwood www.melissagreenwood.com
