School for children ‘left by the wayside’ gains national award
CITY’S STONE SOUP ACADEMY PRAISED FOR HAVING ‘PROFOUND IMPACT ON FAMILIES’
A CITY school where vulnerable children are shown a future of positive aspirations has been recognised with a national education award.
Stone Soup Academy in the Lace Market has been crowned Alternative Provision (AP) School of the Year in the annual Times Education Supplement (TES) Schools Awards.
Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, the awards were held virtually - but the achievement and celebrations have been very much real.
Stone Soup was the only education provider in Nottinghamshire to be shortlisted in one of the 18 categories.
And on Friday evening they were crowned winner in their category, with the lead judge commenting on the “profound impact” the school had made on its families.
The Ofsted Outstanding-rated school in High Pavement provides an alternative setting for students outside of mainstream education who may have been excluded from their previous schools.
Principal Kerrie Henton said: “The TES Award is a fantastic achievement for Stone Soup Academy.
“It is recognition for the work that we do day in and day out with our young people, it means a great deal to us all and even more so at such a difficult and challenging time.
“Our vision at Stone Soup Academy is ‘Creating Unimagined Futures’, it’s what we do for some of the most vulnerable children in Nottingham.
“Alternative provisions change lives for everyone, parents, teachers and young people, it shows them a future that is aspirational and positive, one that they can achieve.
“So to receive such a prestigious award is an honour that I accept on behalf of all of them.”
Stone Soup has 80 students but aims to improve the life chances of every one by helping them realise their true potential.
Kerrie added: “We wanted to give our students a future so they might care more about the present – they might not get involved in crime and violence if they had something to lose – so we set about creating this future for our students.”
Staff decided the key to the success of creating futures was to involve businesses and the local community, so they set up partnerships with 12 local businesses, which offered job experience and placements.
Two students were permanently employed and two were offered apprenticeships as a result.
Statistics also show a bright picture with attendance reaching above 80 per cent (it’s at 62 per cent for AP nationwide), 100 per cent of all students achieved qualifications, 82 per cent achieved GCSE English and maths.
Lead judge Vijita Patel, principal at Swiss Cottage School Development and Research Centre, said: “What’s fantastic is that, in some of the responses, the families articulate ‘getting their child back’.
“So the impact they are having for families is quite profound.”
Heather Mason, of Arnold, who had a child at Stone Soup, said she knows only too well what the school is capable of.
She said: “Sometimes it seems as though mainstream schools are just trying to keep the kids in education, but they are then just left by the wayside.
“Stone Soup is completely the opposite of that - before they even enter the building, students are valued. They have a voice, and the education is tailor-made to the individual. Staff do not shout and they are welcoming.
“They show the child what they can achieve with no pressure, help them find their interests and work towards a career path.
“I feel so blessed and privileged to have been on the journey with them and they deserve it for their effort and compassion.”