A NATIONAL accolade for quality has been awarded to St Stephen’s First School in Redditch for its work in improving the well-being, resilience and self-esteem of its pupils who are vulnerable to underachievement.
The Quality Mark Award recognises the impressive work being done by the school to improve progress in reading, writing and maths for all pupils, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities.
The award has been developed by leading education charity Achievement for All (AfA), which offers support programmes to schools and settings to help them improve outcomes in the lowest achieving 20 per cent.
St Stephen’s has been working in partnership with Achievement for All since May 2014 and has seen a marked improvement in many aspects including working with parents and carers on children’s targets as part of the AfA framework.
Deputy head Sarah Barrett said: “Initially we started with groups of children whose parents we felt needed some extra support at home and to help them understand more about what was being provided for their child in school.
“As the project developed we were able to explore other key areas of learning in school. In the end Achievement for All helped us to increase the good practice of our staff, enabled parents and helped us to close the gaps for some of our most vulnerable learners.”
Mike Donovan, deputy regional lead at Achievement for All, said: “Our heartiest congratulations go to St Stephen’s First School on achieving the Achievement for All Quality Mark. There is a warm ambience within the school; staff are dedicated and the children clearly enjoy and are engaged in their work. Pupils’ wellbeing, self-confidence and self-esteem are at the heart of all the school does and staff know that without the bedrock of those three key elements, academic progress will be impeded.”
