ACADEMY’S IN RUNNING TO BE NAMED NO1 IN THE COUNTRY...
School nominated after Ofsted success
A STOKE-ON-TRENT academy has been shortlisted for the UK’S secondary school of the year.
It comes just months after Trentham Academy achieved its best ever Ofsted result when it was rated as good with outstanding features.
Now the school is the only one in the whole of Stoke-on-trent and Staffordshire to make the finals of the Tes Schools Awards 2022. Headteacher Mike Whittingham said they were ‘overjoyed’ to make the cut.
He added: “It’s such an honour to represent our academy and our local community at such an event and to be able to shout from the rooftops how proud we are of our young people and their families.”
Trentham is one of eight schools nationwide to be in the running for secondary school of the year. The others stretch as far afield as Dorset, County Antrim and West Dunbartonshire.
It was nominated after its Ofsted success last autumn. Inspectors found students enjoy a ‘vast array of opportunities’, value the support they receive and show ‘exemplary’ personal development.
The report, published in November, stated: “In lessons, pupils are often inspired by the passion for the subject shown by their teachers. Pupils work hard and think for themselves. There is rarely any low-level disruption to interrupt their learning.”
Ofsted also found strong leadership at the school and staff who ‘work tirelessly’ to support pupils and their families. And the ‘ambitious’ curriculum has provided ‘breadth and depth’ to young people’s education.
Trentham converted to academy status in 2017 and became part of the City Learning Trust.
Trust CEO Carl Ward is delighted to see it recognised in the Tes Schools Awards. He said: “This is such wonderful news for the academy and its community and is a phenomenal way to celebrate the success that the school has had over the last few years.
“When Ofsted visited in October last year, they were struck by the ambition, strength and quality of the experience that Trentham provides for all of its young people, and for that to be acknowledged again with this nomination is truly outstanding.”
The award finals will be held at London’s Grosvenor Park Hotel on June 17.
The 20 categories also include headteacher of the year, school of the year for staff wellbeing, pupil mental health initiative of the year, teaching assistant of the year, boarding school of the year, and primary school of the year.
Tes editor and chief judge Jon Severs said: “This year has seen an incredibly high standard of entries to the Tes Schools Awards. Every teacher and school who has been nominated should be incredibly proud – it’s a fantastic achievement.
“We are looking forward to showcasing, as we do every year, just how vital our education professionals are to every facet of this country.”