Upping The Stakes - Think Green!

We have always tried our best at ADO to be ethical and kind to the environment and encourage, staff, children and young people, as service users, to do the same. With the recent world focus on the harm that plastics can do to our environment and that global warming is not a myth and is a scientifically proven process currently in progress, our senior managers have been looking at ways we can improve even further our own ethical take on the situation. We think that you can always do more and we want to up the stakes when we Think Green!. 

Senior Manager, Kate O'Brien, has been in particular very active in this area and has recently compiled a report on how ADO tackle the day to day issues of waste, recycling and re-using our consumables across the teams and departments. As we are moving into a new decade next month, its time to reflect on our progress and here are some great examples of the additional changes we have made during 2019.

ADO Joins Safe Space Scheme

ADO have joined up with a fantastic initiative from Bexley MENCAP, supporting a scheme where by there are designated 'safe spaces' for those with learning disabilities and difficulties. The scheme provides a temporary safe place for a person who is distressed or in danger, until help and support arrives. ADO have registered our main office and our Outdoor Education & Therapy Centre, both in Welling. Both sites will display the MENCAP Safe Place stickers in places visible from main pathways.

The Jack That Keeps Giving

Once again we are absolutely delighted to announce our 15th and 16th Jack Petchey Achievement Award Winners. Both winners hail from our fantastic mentor team of young people working with our Early Years Preschool children at the Mini-Explorers Nursery. Ella McHolland-Pilcher and Harriet Bince have also helped ADO in other areas of the business, with Ella very keen on working with the ADO horse and ponies, providing Saturday morning equine care and Harriet who has been helping ADO for many years since she first joined the original ADO After-School club in Bexley during her primary years.

Kyle Becomes Bushcraft Practitioner

Young Kyle McHolland-Pilcher completed his Bushcraft Competency Training up in the wilds of Derbyshire this week and is working towards his assessment. The 15 year old is currently at school, but provides ADO with animal care duties over the weekends and is looking at moving into an apprenticeship when he does leave school, with the company.

Top 20 UK Nursery Winners!

For the third consecutive year, The ADO Mini-Explorers Preschool has been nominated and then awarded a place in the Top 20 UK Nurseries for being the most highly recommended by Daynurseries.co.uk in association with Bamboo Childcare.  The annual awards are peer reviewed and this year competition was tough with a few 'big boys' in the mix, including franchises like Monkey Puzzle, but we were one of three nurseries in the Borough of Bexley to make the Top 20 in the whole region of London. 

A big well done to the team down at the Explorers Garden for yet another award to be proud of and another certificate to be framed on the wall.

Student Excels At River Valley AP

We are pleased to announce our 14th winner of the Jack Petchey Achievement Award. Its the first time one of our students at The River Valley Alternative Provision has claimed the award. In fact RM has been accessing our AP since June 2018, our longest student on roll now!