The school is strongly committed to the aims of the award believing it to offer a truly valuable experience both personally for individual development and collectively for the life of the school. 

For example the community service section has played an important part in school life over the years.  We have run highly successful Fashion Shows, Auctions and a Old Tyme Music Hall as part of our fund-raising activities.  Everyone takes part with the girls putting their talents to good use and often developing talents they thought they never had.  The result has been that we have raised thousands of pounds for the chosen charities. 

In this current school year we have a group of girls doing their community service with special needs children at the Percy Hedley school.  They are either helping in classes or in after school clubs like the Sports Club.

In the expedition section we run expeditions to the Yorkshire Dales, Upper Teesdale, the Lake District and Scotland.  This year a Gold expedition took place in the Cairngorm region of  Scotland.  Years of training and planning through the Bronze and Silver awards paid off and a group of girls not well known in school for their physical prowess successfully completed an expedition which they will remember for ever.

In 1999 we look forward to an adventurous project in South America with 16 Gold award girls going  on a 6 day trek through the Junga Cruz in Bolivia, a 7 day voluntary service project at a Bolivian SOS Children’s Village and a trek to Lake Titicaca and Matchu Pitchu. 

The Church High Challenge Award was introduced in 1997 to offer the U3s, L4s and U4s a program of activities based on the Duke of Edinburgh Award.  It has proved to be highly successful.  Apart from offering girls a huge opportunity through enterprise, effort and challenge to develop new skills, to make new friendships, to learn the importance of  teamwork and a whole range of other worthy attributes, the award has also been great of fun! 

Skills programs from one of our increasing number of lunchtime clubs may be followed.  Examples include Science Club, Computer Club and Craft Club.  In the Physical section many girls join the very popular Linedancing class. 

For the Community Service Section 25 teams entered the Northumbria Water Square Mile Project and one of out teams with a project on water conservation made it to the finals.

Girls are introduced to expedition work with day walks in Northumberland at Bronze level (11-12 year olds); a 2 day walk along the Roman Wall with an overnight stop at a Youth Hostel at Silver level (12-13 year olds); and a 2 day camping expedition in Northumberland for Gold (13-14 year olds).