insideKENT Magazine Issue 51 - June 2016 | Page 146

EDUCATION

Rochester pupils make a difference to Barbados School
Pupils from a Rochester school were recently able to help make a difference to the lives of profoundly
disabled children and adults at an educational establishment in Barbados.

In the two terms leading up to their Netball and Cricket tour to Barbados,
pupils from King’s Rochester Preparatory School raised over £2,000 to buy
much needed resources for The Challenor Creative Arts and Training Centre,
a charity which meets the special educational needs of 80 children and
adults aged from 5 to 50. The 60 King’s pupils who went on the tour gave
eight cricket bags loaded with toys, games, books, stationery, stopwatches,
sport equipment and other resources during a visit to the Centre which
made a lasting impression on every one of the visiting children.

moved by the lack of basic teaching aids. As we had planned to return to
Barbados in 2016, we resolved to make the Challenor Centre our school
charity. The children raised the money from weekly chapel collections, cake
sales, home clothes days and other sponsored events. Visiting the Centre
again, meeting the students and staff and witnessing the hard work they
all do was the highlight of our trip. We were able to take as much as we
did thanks to the generosity of Virgin Atlantic who transported the bags
without cost.”

King’s Preparatory School deputy headmaster, Paul Medhurst, who was
one of the accompanying teachers on the trip, said: “We were privileged
to visit the Centre on our sports tour to Barbados in 2013 and saw the
extraordinary work that the staff there do. Sadly the 400-year-old house
has not been maintained, and major repairs are needed. On the day we
visited that year, the school’s vital mini bus finally died and we were all

A representative from The Challenor Centre said: “We were delighted to
receive the generous donation from King’s Preparatory School. These
resources are much needed in our Centre and will go a long way towards
helping improve our students’ lives. Our aim is to help our students reach
a level of independence in their lives that was previously impossible and
we will absolutely use this donation to help do just that.”

Eden Park High School is unveiled as the name for
E21C’s new secondary school
Education for the 21st Century is proud to announce the new name for the fourth school in its Trust: Eden
Park High School. Formerly referred to as The Beckenham Academy, Eden Park High School will provide a firstclass education for 11-18 year olds, based in the Beckenham area, from September 2017.
The new Eden Park logo is a crest incorporating
the four key symbols that hold special significance
for the Bromley area. Within the badge sit ripples
that symbolise the River Beck, the Kent ‘Invicta’
horse, a tree representing the Garden of England
and a broom plant, from which Bromley’s name
originates.
Mrs Emily Codling, headteacher for Eden Park
High School, says: “I’m so pleased to finally unveil

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the new name and identity for our school. The
next year is going to be a very exciting time for
Eden Park High School, as we launch our new
identity and make preparations for our opening.
The new logo and name hail to Bromley and
Kent’s heritage, embracing the traits of our local
community.”