WCSQM Symposium 9th July, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, London
On Monday 9th July, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (EGA) in London was host to WCSQM’s annual Symposium.
The event provided an opportunity for headteachers, deputy heads, senior teachers and students from World Class accredited schools across the country to share ideas, learn from each other and celebrate their accreditation.
200 staff and students from around 50 World Class schools UK-wide came together for:
- An inspirational keynote talk from Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry, CBE
- A keynote talk on mental health from corporate psychologist and psychotherapist Kate Nowlan, CEO of CiC
- Student workshops and networking opportunities
- Headspace and SLTspace sessions, giving decision makers the opportunity to share World Class best practice
- A tour of EGA’s unique learning space
- An Awards Ceremony to accredit special schools for the first time, re-accredit World Class schools and award international accreditation
Following on from the student workshops focusing on mental health, our ‘Achieving Good Mental Health‘ sheet here summarises the feedback and concerns raised by the students and some support, help and advice offered by leading EAP provider CiC, a supplier recommended by our World Class Schools.
We feel as a World Class School it is important to encourage discussion and not shy away from challenging topics. Business leaders are always asking schools to better develop the communication skills of young people. Therefore, this event is an important opportunity to reflect on issues that matter and give a platform for World Class students to debate from all sides of an argument. We look forward to hosting the other World Class Schools to this symposium and re-accreditation event.
WCSQM is all about the students. World Class Ambassadors from their representative schools were instrumental in running the event on the day, taking on chairing, minuting, photography and videography roles, while also networking with their peers. Chelsea Academy Students Elif Karanis, Titus Takyi-Adarkwa and Tanya Dhliyawo, who last year received an outstanding achievement award for their consistently world class practice, opened the conference, introduced speakers, engaged with the student workshops and most importantly launched the WCSQM Alumni Association, a network of World Class alumni students.
We are ‘putting our money where our mouth is’ with this Symposium. It is genuinely, not tokenistically, run by the students. Every student here and any student that has worked with us and will work with us at WCSQM is automatically a member of our World Class Alumni Association. We are going to make sure that this association becomes a national force to be reckoned with. We are also particularly delighted to have special schools joining our network. None of our World Class schools would be World Class without them.
The event provided a unique opportunity to hear from the inspirational world class artist and public speaker, Grayson Perry, whose humorous and thought provoking talk on ‘Trusting your Intuition’ provided the basis for students’ discussion workshops throughout the morning. Psychotherapist Kate Nowlan inspired further discussion following her talks to staff and students, separately, on mental health in the classroom.
Thank you for hosting the World Class Symposium yesterday. Jenny, the girls and I enjoyed it very much. The girls are inspired to take the next step towards becoming ambassadors and we have a number of ideas for doing more with Student Voice, more around mental health and more to publicise the many opportunities we offer.
WCSQM Director Miranda Perry concluded The Symposium thanking EGA school for hosting the event, both thought provoking speakers, Grayson Perry and Kate Nowlan and especially the World Class students whose participation on the day and hard work towards accreditation and re-accreditation had made their teachers so proud.
WCSQM is a UK charity working to accredit non-selective, Ofsted outstanding state schools across the UK with our quality mark accreditation. Accreditation is valid for two years and at the event’s Awards Ceremony, 16 secondary schools will be collecting their award for re-accreditation, having proven their World Class status against the challenging WCSQM framework over a sustained period of time. We re-accredit every two years because we want to maintain quality. If the school does not re-accredit, the school is no longer World Class. We have also worked closely with some of the best special schools in the country to trial a new WCSQM special school framework. We have been trialling international accreditation and are very happy to be awarding our first international and special school awards.
Notes
Media contact: Miranda Perry
Director: WCSQM
World Class Schools Quality Mark is a UK charity. We are made up of some of the best non-selective state schools in the country. We are an award making body, which awards schools our quality mark according to whether the schools’ students can demonstrate the skills and competencies of our assessment framework.
Tel: 07931755129
Email: miranda.perry@worldclass-schools.org
The 2018 WCSQM Re-accrediting schools
- Alexandra Park School
- Bishop Challoner Catholic Federation of Schools
- Bishop Ramsey CE School
- Chelsea Academy
- Cranford Community College
- Darrick Wood School
- Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School
- Finham Park School
- Harris Academy, Greenwich
- Harris Academy, Chafford Hundred
- Hayes School
- Holland Park School
- Rushcliffe School
- St John the Baptist School
- The Heathland School
- Tudor Grange Academy
- Wymondham College (deferred)
The 2018 First Adopter Special Schools
- The Ashley School Academy Trust
- Church Special Free School
- Hazelbeck School
- Stormont House School
2018 International Accrediting School
- Cranford Community College
2018 International World Class School.
- Ocheon Senior High School, South Korea
2018 Special Mentions
- Beckfoot School
- Clapton Girls’ Academy
- Claremont High School Academy
- Hayes School
World Class students and members of the WCSQM Alumni Association Executive Committee, Titus Takyi-Adarkwa, Elif Karanis and Tanya Dhliyawo were presented with a bouquet in appreciation for their World Class support at the Symposium, where they were also collecting the re-accreditation award on behalf of their school, Chelsea Academy.
