Pride of St Helens Awards 2023 - School of the year nominees

In this week's paper (in shops now) we published a 16-page supplement profiling each of the shortlisted nominees for this year's ceremony.

Throughout this weekend and next week ahead of the event at the Totally Wicked Stadium, we will be sharing our categories of nominees with you.

Here are your nominees for Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group Pride of St Helens Award - School of the year category, sponsored by JC Kitchens.

Lansbury Bridge

Lansbury Bridge (Image: Lansbury Bridge)

LANSBURY Bridge is a popular special needs school in St Helens and it is absolutely no surprise that it has made it to the shortlist for School of the Year.

The Parr-based school teaches children aged four to 14 and help them achieve their motto which is: Learn, Believe and Shine.

Commenting on the nomination, headteacher Carole Austin said: “We are so thrilled that our community wants to give our school recognition by nominating us for School of the Year category in the Pride of St Helens awards.

“It’s wonderful to see the profile of SEND being celebrated in our community and the asset that our pupils and school bring to St Helens.

“The pupils of Lansbury Bridge school are an absolute delight to teach and staff are invested in making everyday the best day for the children and we take great pride in their achievements.

“Our pupils are all special (not solely in the sense of having learning difficulties and medical needs) but they all inspire us everyday to shine, regardless of any adversity they may face due to their diagnosis.

“We also benefit from a supportive community of parents and carers, and our governors are active in guiding the school.”

St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School

WE have so many fantastic schools across St Helens but stand out nominations for Parr-based St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, means that it made it to the final three.

The Berrys Lane school was credited with being inclusive and being supportive for children in all year groups, with the SENCO team particularly credited for their hard work.

Speaking of her pride over the school being shortlisted, headteacher Cath Twist said: “I’m incredibly proud to be honest because we always say we are more than a school, we take our responsibility not just for the children’s education but in helping to mould them into good people who are part of this community and town.

“We are based in an area where there can be people who attend who are in need of more than just a school and we are proud that we can be a fully inclusive and safe place that pupils can thrive in and that parents and guardians feel happy and supported by.

“We have a significant number of SEN children and I believe that’s because parents and guardians can see the support and care we offer to all students and I am so pleased to say the staff and students fully deserve this recognition because we work hard as a school and a community.”

Sutton Academy

Sutton Academy (Image: Sutton Academy)

IT takes a lot of work to make as much improvement as Sutton Academy has in the past 10 years, and the Elton Head Road staff must be thrilled to have been shortlisted after such a turn around.

After years of being rated by Ofsted as requires improvement, the school staff and students have worked incredibly hard to turn that around and are currently rated as a good school.

This work led to nominations highlighting the dedication of the school body.

Principal of Sutton Academy Paul Willerton said: “We are absolutely delighted with being shortlisted for this as five to seven years ago we were in a different position to where we are now and its transformed due to the dedication of staff and the hard work of our amazing students.

“It’s lovely that our hard work has been recognised because for us it’s not just about Ofsted or exams, though those things are very important, but its about helping to develop our students and support them to be a positive part of the St Helens community and I feel like this recognises that.

“To have people nominate us for School of the Year has really been amazing for the school as a whole and we look forward to the award night itself.”