Brentwood special school boosted by £10k Nationwide donation
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Brentwood special educational needs school gets £10k from Nationwide to boost tech and coding skills
An employee from Nationwide’s Upminster branch — the town’s only remaining banking brand — helped raise £10,000 for a local school supporting children with special educational needs.
As well as raising funds for the Endeavour School Co-operative Academy in Brentwood, Ian Stanley and his team have supported the school over several years, including refurbishing spaces and giving classrooms a fresh lick of paint.
The money will go towards a range of educational Lego Education SPIKE kits, helping pupils gain confidence with science concepts and coding through a creative and friendly approach to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). This helps children identify their own talents and increase focus.
Ian successfully applied for the funding through Nationwide’s Colleague Grants programme, which gives staff members who volunteer with local charities the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £10,000. This year the initiative has donated over £947,000 to 125 charities across the country.
Nationwide’s Upminster branch has been open since 1979 when the average UK house price was just £19,830. It continues to provide vital community and financial support to the area. After big banks including Halifax, Santander and Barclays shut their branches in recent years, it is now the last branch in town and is visited over 27,000 times annually.
Ian Stanley, Field Risk Consultant at Nationwide in Upminster, said: “I was so happy to hear that Nationwide donated enough to cover these kits and the training teachers need to use them.
"It might sound like they’re just toys, but they do so much more than that – they can help teach everything from the foundations of physics right through to understanding coding and data, all while keeping it engaging and fun.
"It’s been a great experience supporting the Endeavour School and I look forward to hearing about these kits in action!”
Antonella Crudgington, Headteacher at the Endeavour School, said: "On behalf of all staff and learners at Endeavour we would like to thank the amazing employees at Nationwide for their continued support for our school.
"The LEGO coding kits will really enhance our IT offer for our learners all of which have moderate learning difficulties and complex needs.”
Location: Brentwood, Essex
