**Details of the 2010/2011 Learning Exchange Awards will be announced soon.**

At last, here are the winners of the 2009 Learning Exchange Awards!

We received extremely strong entries to the 2009 Learning Exchange Awards and the task of choosing winners was almost overwhelming because of the range and strength of the bids. However, we only have five prizes - one of £1,000 for the strongest case study and four prizes of £500. 

The winner of £1,000

Our congratulations go to the winner, Joseph Leckie Community College, which is providing a range of high-quality activities that not only engage young people but which are clearly also having a major impact on challenging social trends within its community. The strongest evidence of this impact came in the supporting messages from a range of key local partners who unanimously attest to the strength of the extended services delivered through the college. 

The four winners of £500 each are:

• The East Basildon Extended Services Delivery Group, which offers highly-impressive services delivered through schools, both for children and their parents. These include a programme that has seen many parents gaining literacy and numeracy qualifications for the first time and has created new job opportunities for parents. 

• Nowt2Do, a programme that is part of the extended services offered in Atherton, Wigan (Greater Manchester). Nowt2Do was set up to offer young people in the area a range of alternative and enjoyable activities that can steer them away from anti-social behaviour. One experienced youth worker in the area has commented about Nowt2Do: ‘…there’s nothing like this, anywhere…’; and some chools have noticed strong turnarounds in troubled pupils, with marked increases in the self-esteem of young people who become involved in the programme.

• Churchill Community College in Wallsend, North Tyneside which, through a partnership with the National Centre for Social Marketing and the local Primary Care Trust, has implemented a programme aimed at changing lifestyles and reducing alcohol-related incidents. Since the programme was put in place, there has been a 49 per cent reduction in alcohol-related incidents in the area.

• Woodland Community Primary School in Rochdale, which has delivered an outstanding out-of-school-hours programme that has clearly had an impact on key outcomes such as behaviour and attendance. The biggest impact has been on attainment, however, with a 20 per cent improvement in attainment for young people who are engaging in extended services.

Again, congratulations to all of the winners - you will be contacted individually and your prizes will be in the mail to you soon.

Thanks too to everyone who applied for the Learning Exchange Awards and for giving us such strong insights into the excellent work you are all doing.