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Powys' Thriving Partnership
Guardian (3 September 1996)
In the lavishly equipped computer room of Welshpool High School's new Partnership Centre, ten year-old Luke grinned
sadistically as he added some flames to the picture on his screen. "Skill!" he cries. "Look at this! A skyscraper on
fire!" He and his classmates were learning how to make posters using Paintbrush, Clipart and Publisher. Meanwhile,
in the technology area next door, children as young as five were experimenting with equipment their own school could
never aspire to.
That was last October. Since then over 1,000 primary school children have passed through the centre, and the waiting
list for bookings is six months long. The inspiration for the centre came from primary Head Stuart Pearce, who was
so impressed when he visited Massey Ferguson's Partnership Centre in Coventry, he returned to Powys determined to
develop something similar.
"Living in a rural community, our children have little opportunity to get hands-on experience," he explains. "Yet
their need is just as great as their urban counterparts."
Welshpool High School took up the idea and gained support from Massey Ferguson, the local TEC, the Development
Board for Rural Wales, the LEA and Control Techniques, a nearby electronic engineering firm.
"[ICT] Provision in primary schools is patchy," explains Deputy Head Frank Bestwick, who headed up the team responsible
for launching the venture. "Some teachers are keenly interested, but others lack confidence and tend to shy clear.
And small schools can't afford enough equipment to give pupils regular access. Here in the centre, not only do they
find the latest, up-to-date facilities, they also have an expert on hand who helps them get maximum benefit."
A typical example of a regular user is Ardleen primary school...
© Alison Thomas
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