COMMUNITY
» Our Community
» Academy and Berryfields Chaplain
» Useful Links
Our Community
The notion of community is central to our school aims and to our whole academy vision and values. Not only do we aim to build a supportive and inclusive school community that is focused on learning and personal development. We also want to help build the local community by bringing together individuals, families, voluntary organisations and other agencies to ensure that everyone achieves the best possible outcomes.
The school and whole academy is a hub for a number of community resources and facilities which are also located on our site:
- Berryfields Family Centre works in partnership with the school. They run a variety of activities for families with children aged 0-19 or up to 25 (with SEND) including:
- parenting courses
- youth courses and activities for young people
- early years parent and child sessions
- themed workshops
- health drop-ins
- mental health support
(All activities at the centre are offered free of charge).
- The Community Suite is managed by the school and is available for hire, 7 days a week, through the Academy Lettings Manager on a regular or one-off basis to individuals, community groups and other organisations. Similarly the school hall is available for hire on evenings and weekends. Regular activities include, Church on Berryfields Coffee Shop, Taikwondo, dance classes, private tuition, Beavers, church groups and family learning workshops.
- Aylesbury Vale Academy sports facilities are available to hire to local groups through the Academy Lettings Manager. Regular activities include hockey, netball and football clubs.
For more information on community facilities please call us on 01296 428551.
Academy and Berryfields Chaplain
Revd Gareth Lane is chaplain to the primary and secondary schools and community vicar for Berryfields. This unique joint role provides a vital bridge between church and community as he divides his time between providing pastoral and spiritual support for pupils, their families and staff and establishing and leading a Church on Berryfields for the ever-growing population of the new development.
Gareth grew up in Kent where he attended a CofE secondary school, after school he came to High Wycombe where he did a BTEC HND in Business Studies and IT. He says that “I was always interested in IT and it was probably the only thing I did well in when I was at school, my BTEC enabled me to start on the first step of IT career ladder working on a helpdesk and then later becoming a networking engineer. I progressed and managed to join a small IT consultancy firm which saw me working with some large company names helping them think through their IT networking.” Obviously all this is vastly different from the career path of his current occupation.
While at college, he became a Christian and, although he did not know it at the time, this was the start of his journey to where he is now. Revd Lane said: “I met my wife (Jenny) shortly after college and we got more and more stuck into the church we attended in High Wycombe. Over the thirteen years we were there I found myself leading church services and preaching – to a point where I helped setup and lead a church service for people in their 20’s and 30’. It begun to dawn on me that this was giving me more of a buzz than designing company’s computer networks and I started to consider and pray about becoming a full-time church leader - it felt like God was saying ‘come on, this is what I have planned for you’. So I decided to apply to become a vicar and the Church said yes”.
To become a vicar in the Church of England you have to undertake two years of theological training until you qualify as a priest. After this you move and work as an apprentice in a church for three years, he did this at Church of the Holy Spirit, Bedgrove which is how he comes to now be in Aylesbury. “Aylesbury has really grown on me to an extent I now call this town home, and it’s been exciting working here at the Academy everyone seems very friendly – I’m here to offer pastoral care for staff and students and will be helping us consider the faith aspects of the school. I will be out and about, so do come and say hello” he added. “I want to make myself available to people.”
We’re delighted to welcome Revd Gareth Lane as part of our team.