National accolade awarded to Whipperley Infant Academy

A national accolade for quality has been awarded to Whipperley Infant

 Academy in Farley Hill, Luton for its work in improving the well-being, resilience and self-esteem of its pupils who are vulnerable to underachievement.

The Quality Mark Award recognises the impressive work being done by the school to improve progress in reading, writing and maths for all pupils, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities.

The award has been developed by leading education charity Achievement for All (AfA), which offers support programmes to schools and settings to help them improve outcomes in the lowest achieving 20 per cent.

Whipperley Infant Academy has been working in partnership with Achievement for All since 2012 and has seen a marked improvement in many aspects including working with parents and carers on children’s targets as part of the AfA framework.

Amelia Whitehouse, Headteacher at Whipperley Infant Academy, said:

“I am so proud of all the staff who work so hard to ensure that they embrace the values of AFA in everything they do, for our children and families.  They make every day so much fun with their innovative, creative and exciting learning, our children just love coming to school.  We are all extremely proud to achieve this award and to work every day with such a fabulous community.”

Achievement for All works closely with parents, carers, teachers and the individual child to secure the best outcome and attainment for their students through personalised and specific targets. The unique programmes are delivered directly to schools and settings via a highly skilled and trained team of expert coaches and specialist online support tool called The Bubble.

Schools are assessed for the Quality Mark Award within the second year of the Schools Programme. The award focuses on a variety of categories such as strategic planning, quality of teaching and learning, effective use of interventions, pupil progress and community relationships.

Shona Walton, Regional Director at Achievement for All, said:

“We are thrilled to present Whipperley Infant Academy with this much deserved award. They have shown a high quality of leadership and teamwork, and most importantly, the target groups have made more than expected progress and are closing the gap with their peers. Our programmes are designed to be a whole school improvement tool and Whipperley Infant Academy has shown a continued commitment and success in improving outcomes for their children."