Equipment Donation Supports Greenfields School in Newport

With the opening of our new Torfaen Learning Zone campus just around the corner, staff are busy making plans for the move from Pontypool campus in January. Knowing that old science equipment will be left behind when we move to the state-of-the-art Learning Zone, Rachel Gruber, a Technician in our School of Health and Social Care, decided to search for a new home for our old equipment to give it a second lease of life.

After hearing that Greenfields School in Newport were looking for equipment to kick-start their new BTEC in Applied Sciences, Rachel contacted the school to see if they could put our old science equipment to good use, and the donation was gratefully received. Ranging from microscopes and measuring jugs, to slides and test tubes, Head Teacher of Greenfields School, Jennifer Parry, extended a warm thanks to Coleg Gwent after receiving the donation from our Pontypool campus. She was delighted to collect the equipment which will make a positive difference to their learners’ development in science, and she was happy to work in partnership with us to benefit young people in our local community.

Greenfields School is an independent school dedicated to supporting learners who have a history of school exclusion; are at risk, vulnerable and experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties; or learners who have additional needs. These factors make it harder for young people to learn alongside larger peer groups, so education at Greenfields is tailored to each individual with practical elements linked into each subject. Through a process of creating a safe learning space, building effective teacher-pupil relationships and identifying individual learning needs, the school aims to prepare it’s learners for their future by providing them with opportunities to gain qualifications and participate in work and college placements.

Receiving our donation of science equipment will significantly improve the science activities and qualifications that Greenfields School are able to offer and it will have a positive impact on learner engagement. They’ve been hoping to offer learners a BTEC in Applied Science, so this donation will make delivery of the BTEC much easier and put our old equipment to good use at the same time.

Patrick Seale, Head of School at Torfaen Learning Zone, oversaw the donation and was pleased to see our equipment being repurposed. The ethos of our new Torfaen Learning Zone is to work with partner schools in the Torfaen borough and further afield in areas such as Newport, to improve the opportunities and outcomes for young people. We’re glad that our development of this new facility has enabled us to donate good science equipment for the benefit of learners and teachers at Greenfields School. It’ll help to develop STEM lessons and curriculum there, and we hope that some of the learners will find an appreciation for science and progress to Torfaen Learning Zone to continue their studies.

Discover more about Torfaen Learning Zone and the wide range of courses that are open for applications now.