Top Mark Results All Around for NATS Employee Volunteers

A team of 11 employee volunteers from NATS were tasked with the transformation of a 75 metre squared waste ground area into an allotment ground consisting of 3 plots. The team soon established themselves as Team ‘IS Ground Force’ with the distribution of DIY Celebrity name badges for a bit of fun.  The team got stuck in and certainly lived up to their celebrity namesakes.

The first challenge of the day was the removal of 14 tree stumps completed by 10am. This allowed the remainder of the morning to be spent levelling out the site with all team members armed with spades, rakes and forks. Soon it was midday and time for a well-deserved lunch break. This was no full break though for the team with a ‘Swing That Potato!’ game carried out to ensure everyone maintained energy levels! 

The afternoon’s tasks soon commenced with the labour intensive requirement of installing the sleepers. Measuring 10"high by 5” across and various lengths between 8ft and 8ft 6in,the challenge of transporting them from the driveway to site initially seemed daunting. Team IS Ground Force, however, tackled the project head on. 

Once the plots were developed 12m3 of topsoil was used to fill the beds. A perfectly timed completion ensured the team could take a well-earned break once the heavens opened and down fell the rain. Twenty minutes later the team was back on site to create the pathways. 5 tonnes of shingle was transported and laid to form the final piece in the creation of the allotment. Team IS Ground Force’s efforts were a success.

The commitment and planning carried out by the team prior to the event ensured the project was successfully carried out.  The team sourced all the required materials and arranged for delivery to site. This has ensured that long lasting benefits will be enjoyed by the school and local community.

Sally Palmer, IS Analysis summed up the day “ This was a huge achievement which will be an enormous benefit to the school. Everyone pulled together really well and I am very proud to be a member of this team – well done guys!!!”

Business Employee Volunteers from NATS have also shown a great commitment to Portsmouth School pupils at King Richards through mathematic mentoring sessions. The school,  located in one of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods, faces a number of challenges, especially in relation to educational attainment.

Business Employee Volunteers from NATS spent 7 hours a week as a team through the year supporting teaching staff at the school. The lessons, lead by the teaching staff at the school, were supplemented by mentoring sessions with NATS employees.

This new approach to teaching mathematics in the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage achieving A* to C passes in the subject. Since the implementation of the mentoring sessions a 13% improvement has been recorded. In 2007, only 21% of pupils achieved a grade A* - C in Mathematics. This figure has steadily increased year on year since NATS became involved. The most recent result from the school for 2010 show 50% of pupils now achieve A* - C passes in this subject, comparing well to the national pass rate of 57%.  The achievement by pupils, teaching staff and Business Employee Volunteers will have a lasting impact on the pupils and increase their future employability credentials. Future school leavers will also benefit from sessions with Business Employee Volunteers with this being a long term commitment by NATS.