The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is the UK’s leading gardening charity which aims to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.
Pupils from schools across the Frank Field Education Trust (FFET) took part in the event, including Handforth Grange Primary School, The Ellesmere Port Church of England College and Birches Head Academy.
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) encourages schools across the UK to get involved and “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”. There are many ways schools can get involved, from planting a tree to developing curriculum-based activities related to tree planting to explain to young people why trees are important.
To help inspire schools The Queen’s Green Canopy will be working with the Frank Field Educational Trust (FFET) to develop materials and lesson plans for classrooms and extra curricular clubs. Lord Field of Birkenhead is the Founder of the Trust and is also one of the originators of the QGC, sitting on their board.
We are delighted to announce Handforth Grange Primary School, part of the Frank Field Education Trust (FFET), has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2021 TES Primary School of the Year Award.
Staff and students at Handforth Grange Primary School have been celebrating the announcement, being just one of eight schools from across the UK selected for their outstanding work over the last year.
The award recognises Handforth Grange for its high expectations; the incredible opportunities that the children enjoy; the school’s response to the pandemic and the school’s commitment to Inclusion.
This is an annual event when there is an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health. The Mental Health Foundation started the event 21 years ago. Each year the Foundation continues to set the theme, organise and host the Week. The event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally.
Pupils at Handforth Grange Primary School have been working with The Savage Foundation to allow youngsters access to free grassroots football, regardless of their background or ability, with the aim that no child should be disadvantaged.
Former footballer, Robbie Savage, has unveiled his new foundation created to give children access to grassroots football. The Foundation allows inspirational opportunities for young people to enjoy being physically active in a safe, fun and engaging environment - eliminating barriers to level the playing field.
Last week, Birches Head Academy received a huge donation from the staff and suppliers of JPR Solutions (UK) Ltd. The items donated include food, household items and toiletries – and lots of them!
The items donated will form the basis for Birches Head’s very own Food Bank, which a team of Year 7 students will be launching and leading in the future. More details on how to request a parcel will be available shortly on the Academy’s website.
As you will be aware, the National Lockdown will mean that schools will – unfortunately – be closed to the majority of pupils with immediate effect and the majority of children will be learning remotely until further notice.
Thankfully, we are very well prepared for the possibility of school closure and resources and training have already been provided to enable children to access teaching and learning remotely.
This year’s Remembrance Service will be like no other we have experienced at The Ellesmere Port C of E College. We can all express our gratitude individually, by wearing poppies, but how can we come together to honour those who made such sacrifices during this time.
On the morning of the 7th October our Year 7 students, accompanied by their form tutors were invited to gather for a virtual Welcome Service led by the Canon Rev Gordon McGuinness on the theme of ‘Taking Charge Not Being In Charge’. Students took part in an interactive live session as well as engaging in a multi-media service delivered remotely from St Thomas and All Saints Church.
The Frank Field Education Trust has launched England’s first resource base within a secondary school to promote the sharing good practice, between primary and secondary colleagues, through joint observation and collaboration.
The Primary Teaching & Learning Hub, located within The Ellesmere Port Church of England College (EPC), encapsulates the Trust's vision of 'Social Justice through Excellence in Education' and promotes the Trust's unique womb-to-work 0-19 Hub model.
A group of young historians from The Ellesmere Port Church of England College (EPC) recently returned from an emotional and fascinating trip to the Western Front.
The students visited Ypres in Belgium to pay their respects to the fallen as part of the school’s remembrance commemorations and to find out more about the Great War.
Despite there being nearly 5,500 miles between the two schools, The Ellesmere Port Church of England College (EPC) and The Qingdao Middle School No. 31, which is in the Shandong province on the shores of the Yellow Sea, have become sister schools to help students immerse themselves in different cultures.
A group of budding young entrepreneurs from The Ellesmere Port Church of England College (EPC) are celebrating after successfully reaching the finals with the National Enterprise Challenge.
The success comes after a group of facilitators from the National Enterprise Challenge visited the school earlier this month to run a series of workshops and activities encouraging Year 7 & 8 students to come up with business ideas that focus on sustainability and recycling.
The Ellesmere Port Church of England College (EPC) students have raised the bar by securing an impressive set of GCSE results.
The College, which became part of the Frank Field Education Trust earlier this year, is celebrating the fact that across every measure there has been a notable improvement in GCSE outcomes.
Students presented their project on the development of a soap to reduce water usage when washing hands. Both students have been working on and developing this project since the Unilever Bright Sparks Programme starting in November 2018, they have attended two lunchtime sessions and one night after school per week to research and investigate their idea.
Monday 13 May was a special day for students Sean Walker, Emille Scott, Josh Richards, Matthew Skillen and Shania Jones who were invited to attend a special Duke of Edinburgh ceremony at Buckingham Palace to collect their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
The students, who recently graduated from the College, were presented with their certificates by Rudolph Walker OBE, before being joined by the Princess Royal who took the time to speak with all of the participants.
Staff from across the Frank Field Education Trust (FFET) recently travelled to Sweden to partner with two schools within the Internationella Engelska Skolan (IES) Trust — in Kista (Stockholm) and Eskilstuna.
The partnership aimed to explore how schools in socially vulnerable areas have achieved remarkable success. The visit centred on the theme:
From Special Measures to Success in a Socially Vulnerable Area – The Swedish Free School Context.
Over three days, staff from the Trust, Ellesmere Port C of E College, Birches Head Academy and Handforth Grange Primary School
the impressive Chester Town Hall, as part of our Be More Co-Curriculum.
Pupils from Handforth Grange Primary School, Birches Head Academy, and Ellesmere Port C of E College came together to showcase their creativity and geographical understanding.
This year’s challenge invited pupils to design an A3 poster or physical model exploring their local area and what it means to them. The standard of entries was exceptional, making the judges’ task of selecting winners incredibly difficult!
FFET is working with leading education charity Teach First, to provide School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), allowing the teachers of the future to train within the local community.
The SCITT programme is a one-year teacher-training course for people eager to learn on the job, enabling those who want to train at one of the Frank Field Education Trust schools, making a difference in the community from day one.
In September 2025, the Trust held its annual conference, bringing together staff from across all schools within the Trust to celebrate and explore our shared purpose, culture, and approach.
The event provided an invaluable opportunity for collaboration, reflection, and professional growth.
Staff took part in a series of workshops exploring this year’s theme, focusing on how our shared values and consistent practice can continue to drive improvement and success across the Trust.
Frank Field's Poetry Festival is back for 2025 - Enter Now!
Theme: Justice
Deadline for Entries: 23 October 2025
Finals: 19 November 2025
Finals will be held at Manchester Central Library
What to Do
Write an original poem exploring the theme of Justice and what it means to you.
Enter one of the age categories: Year 2 & 3, Year 4 & 5, Year 6 & 7, Year 8 & 9, Year 10.
Submit your poem using the form below.
Pupils from Ellesmere Port C of E College (EPC) had an incredible opportunity to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer this September, ahead of the Labour Party Conference, taking place in Liverpool.
Our students were invited to take part in the event, where the Prime Minister answered questions on the landmark Hillsborough Law, which the government laid before Parliament in September.
During the meeting, pupils ad the opportunity to ask questions and engage in meaningful conversation with the Prime Minister on a range of important topics, including their local community, student finance, and education.
