Awards

National Teaching Awards

Inspirational teachers win awards

We're delighted to announce that our Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion, Amy Stimpson, was selected from thousands of nominations to win a Pearson National Teaching Silver Award.

Amy was honoured with a Silver Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education for their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children they work with every day.

She is described by her colleagues as a caring, compassionate leader who advocates for the students and their parents, and she has worked relentlessly in developing the excellent SEND provision at Meridian High through the work that she has done with students, staff and the community. 

Amy started at the school as a HLTA in supporting SEND students with language and literacy before then spending time in gaining qualified teacher status and has led on whole school language and literacy development as a lead practice. 

Through her time at MHS, her dedication to SEND education is second to none and she is flourishing as an Assistant Headteacher responsible for inclusion and inclusive practice across the school. Amy has made, and continues to make, a difference to the lives of all the students and families she works with.

Reacting to her award, Amy says: "I feel overwhelmed and exhilarated to have won the silver award. Although I was nominated, I am accepting the award on behalf of the team - everything we do is for the students." . 

Gemma Singleton, Assistant Headteacher, said: "It was easy to nominate Amy due to the impact she has had and the continued success of Pinnacle and adaptive teaching practice for SEND and supporting our SEND students."

The honours have been announced on National Thank a Teacher Day, an annual event celebrating the role of educators across the UK for the valued role they play in communities and shaping young people.

Dr Christina Stead, Chair of SSB, added: "I am delighted to be here today to celebrate Amy's innovative work and also that it has been recognised at a National level."

Our headteacher Amy Anderson was also highly commended in the National Headteacher of the Year in the Pearson National Teaching Awards. 

Amy said: "I feel so proud to have received Highly Commended in the Headteacher of the year category which is reflective of the whole team and the journey we have been on together. It is lovely to have been nominated and be recognised for the work that we have done."

Laura Cripps, GLF's Pedagogy & Practice Trust Lead, added: "The school deserves this recognition for the exceptional inclusive environment it provides where children are at the heart of everything they do."

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of excellence in education run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity now in its 25th year, that recognises the life-changing work that takes place in education, highlighting the vital role educators play and the work that’s delivered in schools and colleges every day.

Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, says: “I am inspired by the devotion of teachers and the huge impact they have on the lives of the young people they tutor, support, encourage and motivate day in and day out. 

"The valuable role they play both inside and outside the classroom has inspired generations of young people across the country to achieve their potential. I am delighted to congratulate the winners of the 2023 Awards and thank them all for the amazing contributions they have made to our communities.”

Sharon Hague, Senior Vice President of Schools at Pearson UK, adds: “We would like to congratulate today’s Silver winners on their incredible achievements. We can’t underestimate the huge contribution schools make to our young people’s lives and Amy Stimpson is an inspiring example of the positive impact an individual can have on pupils and communities.” 

Matt Waring, Education and B2B Channel Manager at Logitech, sponsor of The Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education, concluded: “On a daily basis, outstanding educators play a critical role in fostering the potential of students across the UK and nowhere is this more important than in special needs education.  We take great pleasure in recognising this contribution through our association with the Pearson National Teaching Awards. Congratulations to Amy Anderson and  Amy Stimpson on this outstanding recognition.”

 

Leading Parent Partnership Award 

Raising achievement by involving parents and carers in the work of our school

In January 2024 Meridian High School was awarded the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) in recognition of the work done to support parents and carers in engaging with the school and their child’s learning.

LPPA is a national award that provides us with a valuable framework for continuing school improvement and also gives us recognition for our commitment to working with parents and carers.

The long-term benefits of the LPPA will include (but are not limited to):

• Increased parent participation and involvement
• Enhanced parents’ support in children’s learning
• Improved communication between home and school

We were assessed in January 2024 and are delighted to have achieved the Award.

SEND Inclusion Award

What is SENDIA?

SENDIA provides a framework for us to deliver effective SEND and inclusive practices within the school; which will in turn generate high outcomes for students with SEND, in line with the SEND Code of Practice and the Education Inspection Framework.
 

What will it include?

• Create a working group that will be made up of representatives from all groups with an interest in SEND education. (Staff, students, governors and parents). Regular updates regarding progress.
• Self-Evaluation of the school centred on characteristics of the school, Ofsted rating and Pupil/Parent/Staff Voice.
• Creating an Action Plan with a comprehensive evidence portfolio to demonstrate our compliance with the Key Performance Indicators and Objectives.
• Visit from an assessor to verify that the objectives have successfully been met.

How will it help?

The award will help us to develop high quality SEND provision throughout the school by:

• Promoting awareness of SEND issues and inclusion for all stakeholders of Meridian High School
• Promoting awareness to all students, including those not on the SEND register.
• Evaluating and improving classroom practices and interventions
• Developing a clear and inclusive support system focusing on improving student outcomes.

Successful completion of the award will enable schools to:

• Gain recognition for high-quality education and care for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
• Demonstrate to all stakeholders that the school provision complies with current legislation and the SEND Code of Practice, and is effective in achieving good outcomes for all pupils.

We are pleased to announce that we achieved the SENDIA award in July 2024.

Thrive School Of Excellence

MHS has been awarded the The Thrive School of Excellence award. We could not be more proud of our dedicated staff in making a difference in young peoples lives. 

Thrive promotes children's and young peoples positive mental health by helping adults around them know how to be and what to do in response to their differing and sometimes distressing behaviour.

At Meridian High School we have embedded the Thrive approach. Thrive is based on established neuroscience, attachment theory and child development. Thrive equips our staff with the knowledge, skills, insights and resources to develop trusted relationships that help our students to flourish and learn. Thrive enables staff to meet the immediate need of the students, which supports them to become more emotionally resilient so they are better equipped to deal with life's ups and downs. 

Thrive allows us to support the emotional well-being of our students as we all have a shared responsibility to ensure that our students are ready to learn. 

Positive relationships with dedicated staff are at the heart of Thrive. We use these relationships, together with play and creative activities, to give children key experiences at each different stage of their development. Repetition of these activities supports their development, helping them to:

• Feel good about themselves and know that they matter
• Increase their sense of security and trust
• Increase their emotional well-being
• Improve their capacity to be creative and curious
• Increase their self-esteem and confidence to learn
• Learn to recognise and regulate their feelings
• Learn to think before behaving in a certain way
• And much more…