Excluded pupil Finnley’s first class honours
AN artist who was excluded from school multiple times has been awarded a first-class honours degree.
Finnley King, 21, was excluded from several schools and isolated from more classes than she had attended.
She described her relationship with education as a “rocky one, to say the very least”.
But last month Finnley got the news of her degree pass – and gave much of the credit to her former school, Stone Soup Academy.
The Ofsted-rated outstanding school in High Pavement provides an alternative setting outside mainstream education for students who may have been excluded.
Finnley said she entered year 10 having spent almost a year in an off-site seclusion unit. In her own words she had “a lot of anxiety and complete lack of ambition”.
Finnley, of Rise Park, said: “The thing is, as a young person during such an important time for selfdevelopment, being told you will not achieve, to be separated from other students and isolated has a huge impact on your self-worth.
“In 2014 I was fortunate enough to be given a chance to complete my final years of education at Stone Soup Academy.
“It was sold to me as a fresh start. One where I could draw a line under everything I had experienced and begin a new journey.”
Assistant Head of Engagement, Becky Ashmore was Finnley’s form tutor.
She said: “Form time would provide Finnley with the opportunity to talk through events, allowing her to reflect on her actions and choices, and as a school we would always ensure to focus on the positives.
“Finnley had a great passion for art and, as always with Stone Soup, she was encouraged to explore her interests and talents and really shone in this area with her amazing work constantly receiving praise from both staff and students alike.
“We watched her confidence grow and when she left us in 2015 it was great to see her believing in herself.”
Finnley said: “Suddenly I was spoken to as if I was an equal rather than a ‘bad kid’ or ‘waste of space’ – a direct quote from a teacher prior to Stone Soup.”
In 2015, she went on to study a level 3 diploma in art and design. But at Central College (now Nottingham College) Finnley said the change of dynamics was a struggle and once again found herself on the verge of being removed from an educational setting.
But after receiving support from the Special Educational Needs (SEN) team, things began to look up for her.
Finnley speaks fondly of a lady on the team who said to her ‘if you aren’t on the spectrum I will eat my hat.’
A year later Finnley was assessed and diagnosed with both attention hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Her Central College grades allowed her to pursue her dream of studying creative expressive therapies at the University of Derby.
Becky said: “Words cannot express the way I felt when I bumped into Finnley some years later and she told me she was at university.”
Stone Soup principal Kerrie Henton invited Finnley back for her second year placement.
Kerrie said: “What Finnley has achieved is not a one-off. Every child has the ability to be great through encouragement, support and belief. It really does change lives.
“Some students simply do not thrive in mainstream schools.
“Finnley came from a challenging background but she overcame, and all credit goes to her.
“When she came back last year, she worked so hard and was very passionate. In her own words, ‘exclusion is not the end.’”