Star wins high-profile awards
Staff and pupils at Star Academies are celebrating after winning two prestigious awards in the space of 24 hours.
The Trust was presented with the ‘Chairman’s Award’ at Blackburn with Darwen’s Hive Awards during an elite Awards Ceremony held at King George’s Hall on 10th May.
The Hive Awards span a range of categories and are awarded to the “very best businesses in the Borough,” celebrating organisations and individuals who have made a positive and sustained contribution to Blackburn with Darwen’s community and economy. Whilst the majority of award-winners are chosen on the basis of nominations, the ‘Chairman’s Award’ – one of the final awards of the night – is selected by the Hive’s Chairman and can be awarded to any business in the Borough.
The Trust has expanded significantly in recent years and now runs a number of successful schools across the country, but its roots remain in Blackburn with Darwen, where its founding schools and Central Team are situated.
The Trust’s Blackburn-based secondary schools, TIGHS and TIBHS, were amongst the top three schools in the country for progress in last year’s GCSE league tables, whilst The Olive School, Blackburn, ranked amongst the top 3% of schools in the country after primary pupils secured a 100% pass rate in the Phonics Screening Check. All three schools have been graded as “Outstanding” by Ofsted.
The Trust’s success at the Hive Awards was buoyed by another triumph earlier in the evening, when Mo Isap, one of Star’s Trustees, was awarded the ‘Enterprise Adviser of the Year (North West)’ award by the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC). Mo received the accolade for his work with pupils at TIGHS, where he encourages young people to become the leaders of tomorrow by providing them with invaluable mentoring and careers advice and helping them to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The award was presented during the CEC’s ‘Joining the Dots’ conference.
Staff and pupils awoke to yet more good news this morning, when it emerged that TIGHS is set to receive a national award from the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) for pupils’ phenomenal GCSE performance in 2016, where 97% of pupils achieved grades A*-C in English and Maths, and 79% of pupils achieved the English Baccalaureate. The ‘Educational Outcomes’ award will be presented at a regional celebration event later on this year.
(Mufti) Hamid Patel CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies, said: “The events of the past 24 hours have been truly humbling, and we are both honoured and delighted to receive this recognition from the Chairman of the Hive Awards. Our Blackburn-based schools are at the heart of the Trust and have achieved some truly exceptional results during 2016/17, and this is all down to the hard work of staff, pupils and parents, who have played a vital part in earning this award. I would also like to thank our Blackburn-based Central Team, who work tirelessly to deliver high-quality support to all of our schools, along with all the schools across our Star family, who have helped to shape us into the organisation we are today. A huge well done to all the finalists and award winners – you are bringing something truly special and unique to the Borough.”
Hamid also extended his congratulations to Mo Isap for his success at the CEC Awards: “I cannot think of a more deserving winner. Mo’s work with our schools – and TIGHS in particular – has been invaluable and I know pupils have greatly benefited from his insight and expertise. He is the very embodiment of our vision to nurture today’s young people and inspire tomorrow’s leaders and I know he has inspired our pupils to go on to achieve great things.”
Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 11th May 2017 | Posted In: Latest News