Celebrating Inclusion: Ted Wragg Trust Shortlisted for 2 National Education Awards

The Ted Wragg Trust has been shortlisted for two national education awards.  The trust which runs eighteen schools across Devon has been shortlisted for the SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) award at the MAT Excellence Awards, as well as the Best Practice in Inclusive Education Award at the Education Business Awards.

The MAT Excellence Awards give trusts across the UK the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their schools, students and staff and the positive impact they have on their local community.  They allow trusts to showcase their expertise and share their knowledge with peers. The awards ceremony will be held later this year in London.

The Education Business Awards also celebrate the outstanding achievements and commitment of schools and academies across the UK.  Sponsored by Cornerstone and supported by the Department for Education, the awards have been recognising the achievements of state and independent schools across the country since 2009.

At the Ted Wragg Trust, staff are committed to helping children with SEND access a broad curriculum and receive the support they need to thrive. At the core of this is ensuring that all students are valued for the contribution they make and feel positive about themselves. All children are taught the skills they need to be emotionally literate, safe, connected and successful and staff access the highest quality continuous professional development to make this possible.

The Ted Wragg Trust have developed their own SEND strategy and have worked tirelessly to ensure that children’s needs are identified accurately and early.  This led to the development of the trust’s speech and language team (SaLT) as staff recognised that unmet speech and language needs were impacting pupils and their learning experiences.  The SaLT team now screen all Reception and Year 7 children and provide 1:1 and small group intervention.

This year the trust has also introduced their Emotional Literacy and Wellbeing Strategy. Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) is the highest area of identified need within the trust with over 1,200 children having this identified as their primary area of need.  They have also developed a strategy on mental health and wellbeing underscoring their belief in a whole-school approach to mental health. The strategy, which has been influenced by their family of schools and their local communities, aims to ensure every child is taught the skills they need to be emotionally literate, self-aware, and mentally well, helping to create a supportive, healthy learning environment across all schools.

Ted Wragg Trust schools include All Saints Academy Plymouth, Cranbrook Education Campus, Exwick Heights Primary, Honiton Community College, Isca Academy, Lipson Academy, Marine Academy Primary, Marine Academy Plymouth, Queen Elizabeth’s School, St James School, St Luke’s Church of England School, Sidmouth College, West Exe School, Exmouth Community College, Tor Bridge High and Whipton Barton.

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said: “We are hugely proud of our students, staff and families who work tirelessly together to make sure our SEND students have the best possible experience, and this shortlisting is testament to this collective ambition and dedication. We know that the SEND landscape is increasingly difficult, but as a trust we are committed to continuing to innovate and empower our schools to create supportive environments where every student can thrive.”