The most outstanding individuals and institutions that the education sector has to offer have been recognised in the shortlist for the TES Schools Awards 2020.
It has been revealed that Poplar Farm School, in partnership with 15 rural Lincolnshire and urban Lebanese schools, have been nominated for the Communication and Collaboration Award.
The global collaboration has allowed all of the schools to learn about different faiths, backgrounds and life experiences. With refugees headlining the national news, the links have allowed Lincolnshire pupils to learn about the thousands of refugees in Lebanon schools, whilst their peers on the Asian continent have developed their expertise and experience of the English language.
Kate Hodson, Headteacher at Poplar Farm, commented: “Sharing work with our partner school in Lebanon has really engaged our children. Our first project was ‘through the window’ and it was interesting to see the differences and similarities between our school buildings and classrooms.
Our work with the Maaroub Elementary Public School in Lebanon has also complemented our UNICEF ‘rights of a child work’. Article 28 states that ‘every child has a right to an education’, and by working with our partner school we have been able to see how children are educated in a different country.”
Tes editor Ann Mroz said: “It is always a highlight of the education calendar to see the best ideas and people lauded at the Tes Schools Awards. But this year, it felt more important than ever to run an event that showcased and celebrated the hard work that teachers and school staff do for children and their local community every single day. This has been one of the most difficult years in education, but – as ever – teachers continue to rise to the challenge.
We had a record number of entries this year and the standard was very high, so all those shortlisted should be very proud: it’s an extraordinary achievement to be on this shortlist.”
Unfortunately, the awards night cannot be held in person this year as previously planned. For the very first time, award winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on Friday 13th November 2020.
To see the full list of who’s in the running, pick up a copy of this week’s Tes, or visit tesawards.co.uk
