On 25 May 2023, we were accredited with the World Class Schools Quality Mark, joining a coveted network of just over 140 schools in the UK. The Quality Mark is awarded by the education charity World Class Schools, whose unique assessment framework assesses the students, not the school, for their demonstration of World Class skills and competencies. The premise is that if the school is truly World Class, then its students should be able to demonstrate this in whatever context they find themselves.
We were just one of a handful of non-selective state schools awarded the Quality Mark in the 2023 academic year, following a challenging assessment process in which students worked to identify and demonstrate their World Class characteristics using the WCSQM character development framework as a benchmark. The framework highlights characteristics across individual areas including leadership, community, learning and workplace for secondary students, and ‘I learn’, ‘I am’ and ‘I feel’.
A quote from the Director of WCSQM, Miranda Perry, can be found below.
“At WCSQM we wholeheartedly believe it is the students that make a school, and a school that prioritises the development of World Class characteristics in its students will always be World Class. The skills and competencies these students have demonstrated will help them excel in any environment, and make them ideal candidates for whichever further education / career pathway they choose to take. These are the World Class citizens of the next generation, and we’re incredibly proud to award them for their achievements so far.”
I am so proud of our students on a daily basis and want to pay a special thanks to those who engaged with the accreditation process on behalf of the whole student community. The sense of pride and gratitude our students show in our school, their learning and the opportunities available to them is so heart-warming as a principal. It goes without saying that to create an environment where students thrive, you must have amazing staff and a supportive wider community and I hope that this accreditation provides some recognition for the amazing efforts of everyone involved in our unique ‘Team Heanor’ community.
I hope you all share in my excitement and pride in receiving this accreditation and I thank you as always for all of your support.
Matt Jones
Principal