Students, families, staff and volunteers from Ted Wragg schools across Exeter and Devon had a brilliant time at the Ted Wragg Awards on Thursday the 12th of October at Sandy Park in Exeter. 

The awards were particularly auspicious as they also marked ten years since the creation of the Ted Wragg Trust and were an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of students, staff members and volunteers from across school communities.

The evening kicked off with a performance from the talented Lipson Co-operative Academy Band who were also nominated in the Student Teamwork category. Guests were also treated to performances by the Ted Wragg Choir between the three different award categories, Ambition Awards, Collaboration Awards and Selflessness Awards in line with Trust values. The choir which included primary school, secondary school and sixth form students from schools across the Trust came together for the first time to perform at this event. Their performances were a special part of the celebration evening and they received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the night.

Winners from Exeter and Devon schools included,

• Morgan Carver, Isca Academy; Ved Jan Kumar, St James School and Manroop Singh, Whipton Barton Federation for Student of the Year
• Ali Davey, Whipton Barton Federation, Teacher of the Year
• Tara Stirzaker, St James School, Co-Professional of the Year
• CEC Lionesses (Primary Girls Football Team), Cranbrook Education Campus and The Ten Tors 45ers, West Exe School for Student Teamwork of the Year
• Lucy Bradbury, Exwick Heights Primary School and Alex Evans, St Luke’s Church of England School for Inspirational Leader Award
• Post 16 students, Honiton Community College, Student Community Leadership award
• Jenni Baker, Queen Elizabeth’s School and Carole Clark, Sidmouth College, Unsung Hero of the Year Award
• EX5 Alive Community Hub, Cranbrook Education Campus, Strengthening Communities Award

The awards were kindly sponsored by a range of organisations and businesses including, the University of Exeter, City College Plymouth, Bromcom, Pinnacle Group, South West Metal Finishing, Exeter College, Steplab, COREUS, Sam Hatton-Brown Creative Content, Plymouth City Bus and PHP Law LLP.

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:

“It is a huge honour and privilege to be the CEO of the Ted Wragg trust and I am so proud of what we have achieved and the remarkable journey that we have been on in the last ten years. 

“It was only fitting to mark this momentous occasion by celebrating the achievements of our wonderful students and the unwavering impact and service of our colleagues, volunteers and community members. 

“Everyday in my job I witness the incredible power of collaboration, compassion and commitment in transforming education and the lives of children and it was great to take an evening to celebrate this. 

“I would also like to thank our sponsors, the many generous local businesses and educational institutions that made the awards possible, everyone at the trust is very grateful to them for their kindness.”

To find out more about the event, the full list of nominees and view the supporting award videos visit www.tedwraggtrust.co.uk/ted-wragg-awards

Marine Academy is recognised for excellence in science teaching 

Over 200 West Exe children use pedal power to get to school every day

Students from across the Ted Wragg Trust have been celebrating exceptional GCSE results today, a week after fantastic A Level results across the Ted Wragg Trust were also achieved.

Students across our family of schools achieved a fantastic set of GCSE results, with 7 in 10 children achieving a grade 4 or higher in GCSE English and Maths, and 1 in 2 achieving a grade 5 or higher in both subjects.

Moira Marder, Chief Executive Officer of the Ted Wragg Trust, said: “I am so proud of all our students. Their results today reflect the hard work, dedication and ambition they show every day. As ever, I am also incredibly grateful for the support from our parents and carers and the hard work and dedication of our inspirational staff who all play a vital role in supporting our students to flourish.”

Siobhan Meredith, Executive Director of Education at the Trust, praised students for their “ambition and resilience”, adding that, “each cohort over the last few years have faced unique challenges, and the journey of these students makes their achievements all the more impressive.”

The eleven Ted Wragg Trust secondary schools are the Plymouth-based Marine Academy Plymouth, All Saints Academy and Lipson Co-operative Academy; Queen Elizabeth’s School, Crediton; Cranbrook Education Campus; the Exeter-based schools, Isca Academy, St James School, West Exe School and St Luke’s Church of England School; and Honiton Community College and Sidmouth College who joined the Ted Wragg Trust during the 2022/23 academic year. Schools will be working closely with all students in the coming days to ensure they are able to take the next step of their choice, continuing to give them all the support they can towards the next stage of their journey.

Moira added “We look forward to hearing about the continued success of our students, as they take their next steps in life, whether that is within our sixth forms, regional colleges or apprenticeships. We cannot wait to watch them go on and change the world.”

This week marks an exciting new chapter for Honiton Community College as they join the ambitious and inclusive Ted Wragg Trust.

Honiton Community College (HCC), a secondary school in the centre of Honiton with students from 11-18, has become the 15th school to join the growing Trust whose mission is to transform lives and strengthen communities to make the world a better place.

Honiton Community College, which has a roll of 728 students and employs 96 staff members, believes in the core values of ‘Kindness, Curiosity and Resilience’ and provides a challenging learning journey, within a supportive setting. They believe every child has the right to an excellent education, in a calm and caring environment and staff work collaboratively with students and families to achieve ‘Success for All’.

By joining the Trust, the school will be supported with its ambition to help students to achieve their goals and aspirations and to leave College as confident, ambitious and successful young people, keen to engage with the world of tomorrow and live a life of opportunity.  

Chris Meek, Chair of Governors and parent of children at Honiton Community Colleges comments “Honiton Community College are delighted to join the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, as this union aligns perfectly with our college's vision of 'Success for All.' Together, we will continue our commitment to a pupil-centred approach, ensuring that each student's unique abilities and aspirations are nurtured and celebrated. By joining this ambitious and inclusive Trust, we have an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen our communities through excellent education, enriching the lives of countless young learners. We look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.”

Alex Kirkbride, Principal at Honiton Community College comments, “I am incredibly proud and excited to have Honiton Community College join the Ted Wragg Trust from the 1st July. This represents a significant and positive step forward for our staff, students, and families. Whilst there will be little day to day change to the family and student experience at Honiton, all will benefit from the additional expertise and capacity that the Trust will offer, further accelerating our school improvement journey.”

Moira Marder, Chief Executive Officer of the Ted Wragg Trust, said: “With community at the heart of all we do, we are thrilled to be welcoming Honiton Community College to our family of schools who want the very best for all our children because every child deserves the very best opportunity to succeed. This will be a truly transformative partnership between the college and the Trust that share the same values and through working together will continue on our exciting journeys to being the very best we can.”

Honiton Community College officially joined the Ted Wragg Trust on Saturday 1^st July 2023.

Click here to read more about Honiton Community College

St Luke’s Church of England School has recently been graded good by a recent SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) report, with the Inspector commenting on how the school’s vision of ensuring all students live life to the full motivates and energises all students and how the school’s values enable its community to live well together.

The SIAMS inspection, which took place prior to the Easter break, plays a significant part in Church Schools and is used to consider how well a school uses its Christian distinctiveness, the inspector comments “Pupils and adults flourish at St Luke’s”. The Inspector went on to say; “Students display hope and aspiration for themselves and for their community with this being evident through their learning as well as through the impact of their courageous advocacy and charitable contributions.”

The school, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, works tirelessly to ensure they have the highest expectations of students and sets a positive balance of being both academically rigorous and nurturing and caring. The report highlights how its vision and values are lived out daily through positive interactions and comments on how staff exercise a sensitive and aspirational combination of care and rigour. The School’s approach to learning is described as being ambitious, carefully planned and structured thus enabling all students to show and grow their understanding. The extensive pastoral programme, enrichment and student leadership were also acknowledged as being key areas of strength for the school. The inspectors also noted the resolute support the school receives from the Ted Wragg Trust and Exeter Diocese and the discernible impact this has on the school community.

Kealy Sherwood, Headteacher said “We are so proud to be a Church School and to have our work recognised in such a positive way is a true testament to the way in which we have worked together as a community of students, parents, staff and Governors. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you everyone within the St Luke’s school community for their unrelenting support and to congratulate our students who are our very best ambassadors.”

The full report can be found on the St Luke’s Church of England School website here.