12 Sep 2006

The unique PFI learning community at Hadley, Telford, goes under the spotlight this week when the first in a series of programmes charting its progress is broadcast on digital and satellite television.

The series, Future School, will be aired on Teachers' TV and is available through satellite and cable networks and on Freeview. It gives a fly-on-the-wall view into the creation of the state-of-the art Hadley Learning Community (HLC), which opened to its first students last week.

HLC embodies a new concept in educational thinking: it encompasses, in a single extensive building, a primary school for 420 pupils, a secondary school for 1,200, a school for 150 children with severe and profound learning difficulties, a 50-place early education and childcare facility, a sports and leisure centre and an arts centre including a 150-seat theatre. The new facilities will also be available for community use.

The first programme in the Future School series is entitled Creating a School. It follows the principal, Dr Gill Eatough, as she works alongside PFI construction and facilities management partner Interserve and the Borough of Telford & Wrekin to make crucial design decisions about how HLC should be built.

The 30-minute programme is the first in a series which will chart the school right through to its opening and the reaction of its first secondary school pupils to the 21st Century learning environment. The series offers viewers unprecedented access into the development of an extended PFI school and the partnership between teachers and the developer.

Dr Gill Eatough, HLC principal, commented: "For the past 18 months, I have been planning and designing the school alongside the council and contractors Interserve and throughout that time I have been followed around by cameras watching my every move! I hope people will watch the programme and see for themselves the hard work and dedication that has gone into creating the best possible learning environment for our children."

The current running schedule for Future School on Teachers' TV is as follows:

Programme	Cable & satellite	Freeview
Episode 1:  Creating a School	13 Sept, 8pm	15 Sept, 5am
Episode 2:  Designed for Learning	20 Sept, 8pm	22 Sept, 5am
Episode 3:  The Curriculum Challenge	20 Sept, 8.15pm	22 Sept, 5.15am
Episode 4:  Building the Workforce	27 Sept, 8pm	29 Sept, 5am
Episode 5:  PFI – Friend or Foe	27 Sept, 8.15pm	29 Sept, 5.15am
Episode 6:  Including the Special School	4 Oct, 8pm	6 Oct, 5am
Episode 7:  Safe and Secure	4 Oct, 8.15pm	6 Oct, 5.15am
Episode 8:  Leading the Way	11 Oct, 8pm	13 Oct, 5am
Episode 9:  End of an Era	11 Oct, 8.15pm	13 Oct, 5.15am
Episode 10:  The HLC Opens	18 Oct, 8pm	20 Oct, 5am

Teachers' TV is available on
- Sky 880
- Telewest 240
- NTL 803
- HomeChoice 845
- Freeview 88