Schools feature on national awards shortlist

CELEBRATIONS ARE under way at two independent schools in Yorkshire as they are shortlisted for prestigious national awards.

The Independent Schools Association (ISA) awards for 2018 are aimed at honouring success across the country, from early years provision to innovation in performing arts. Among those who have made the shortlist are Hipperholme Grammar School and Hull Collegiate School.

The Bramley-based Hipperholme Grammar, in the running for excellence in extra-curricular activities, has been recognised for its approach to modern clubs alongside the more traditional.

This has seen the likes of a car club set-up by Year 5 pupil, Alf Boyle, a golf lunchtime club led by former sixth-former, Olivia Pearson, and cheerleading sessions with youngsters Halle-Blu Morrison and Lexxi Sedgwick.

“Having small class sizes to nurture pupils’ successes means that a key strength of this is our ability to know every single pupil and find out their interests,” said head teacher Jackie Griffiths.

“Every staff member actively encourages each pupil to explore extra-curricular activities to fulfil their potential before, during and after school. We have seen these clubs help young people interact and support one another which has helped to reinforce our family and community-spirited ethos of achieving things by working together.”

Hull Collegiate School has been shortlisted for an outstanding contribution to international learning, alongside Derby Grammar and CATS Canterbury. This is for its Safi Coffee project, launched in September last year, which has seen the school import coffee from Uganda and sell across the UK, with every penny of profit paying from Ugandan children to attend school.

The school arranges visits to Uganda every two years, helping on farms and with staff teaching in local schools. It was on a trip to the Gorilla Summit in 2015 that the “light bulb” moment was born, said charities and trust coordinator Carrie Mertens, and the project has just grown since.

The awards ceremony takes place on November 8.