A SCHOOL near York has been named the winner of an award which celebrates best practice and excellence in the education sector.

Pocklington School has been named as the winner of the Educate North Community Engagement Award.The prestigious awards ceremony, which was delayed from March 2020, was held virtually on Thursday (April 22) and was attended by education establishments from across the North of England.

The Award presented to Pocklington School recognised its dynamic community engagement programme, which includes schools outreach activities, a student community action programme and its support of Chatta, an early year’s initiative focussed on communication and language skills.

Toby Seth, Headmaster, Pocklington School said: “Not only does this award fill us with a great sense of pride, it also very much reflects the type of school Pocklington is.

"We are embedded in and deeply committed to our community and our commitment to engaging with our community is central to who we are. For this to be recognised in this way is testimony to the hard work that pupils and staff put into honouring this long-held tradition at Pocklington.

"This accolade will also serve as motivation to continue this work well into the future.”

The school's 'Outreach Programme' works with 25 infant, junior and senior schools in the local area, sharing with them experience, facilities and expertise. The programme began following discussions with the Head Teachers at several of the schools to assess areas of need and is reviewed annually to adapt to changing situations.

The school also run a 'Student Community Action Programme', which involves students visiting local primary schools to assist in classrooms, making social visits to senior citizens and residents in local day care centres and volunteering for conservation projects.

Pocklington School hosts and is the development partner of Chatta, an award-winning app which is making a significant impact on the communication skills of early years learners, particularly across the North. It supports its use in the wider community to help overcome the societal trend away from verbal engagement where children can start school unable to communicate effectively.