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We can all appreciate the opportunity to get our glad rags on, let our hair down, and celebrate excellence, which is exactly what happened for attendees of the Consilium Academies awards.

The ceremony was held at The Queens Hotel in Leeds on Friday 13 October – but this event was far from bad luck! Students and staff from Thornhill Academy and Consilium Evolve were delighted to attend.

The multi-academy trust, which is made up of nine academies, created the awards so that the trust could ensure inspiring students and staff received the recognition they deserve.

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “What a great idea to arrange an annual ceremony to acknowledge and honour all the fantastic things going on inside the four walls of a school.

“We often hear so much about the negative stuff happening within our sector (in order to push for change), but hearing about the positive things is just as important, too. This is something we always push for at Schools North East.”

So much joy, appreciation, and love under one roof

This year’s ceremony marked the third anniversary of the awards, with the first taking place back in 2021.

The evening was a resounding success, with six categories of awards being handed out based on the Consilium Charter. The categories were:

• Equity
• Excellence
• Integrity
• Opportunity
• Partnership
• People-Centred
• Consilium Evolve Winner

Grace Francis won the student award for Opportunity, and it sounds like it was absolutely deserved!

When Grace first started at Evolve, she was an elective mute and really struggled to build any sort of relationships with both students and staff. 

Gradually, over time, Grace started speaking the odd word to staff, which then led to the odd sentence, until, eventually, she could carry out full conversations in front of groups of both students and staff, sharing jokes and laughs and generally being a joy to be around.

What a beautiful journey that deserves the utmost recognition and celebration.

Since she graduated from Evolve in the summer with amazing GCSE results, Grace has started volunteering at her local community centre. She’s also recently started studying at college, where she is gradually starting to make friendships with her new classmates.

There’s no denying that it’s Grace’s determination to succeed that has provided her with these opportunities, as well as support from the school and wider community. We wish Grace every success in the future.

Alongside the Opportunity category was the Integrity category, in which Evie Hall was the student runner up. Congratulations, Evie!

Thornhill Academy Winner

Thornhill’s Mark Leadbeater was the staff winner in the Opportunity category, and for very good reasons. Well done, Mark.

Mark regularly liaises with external agencies to provide additional opportunities for students,  including theatre visits and the annual Christmas concert.

It’s highlighted that he’s committed to giving students the chance to perform and showcase their talents, which indeed sounds like cause for another well-deserved win.

Enriching Lives and Inspiring Ambitions is core to everyone at Consilium. At Thornhill, Mark is praised for doing everything within his power to ensure students get every opportunity to really achieve this, and in many cases uncover talents they didn’t even know they had.

Every school in the world needs a teacher like Mark!

His work goes far beyond the school, too, as he has forged relationships outside the academy to give students opportunities to perform in the local community. These opportunities range from primary school events at local parks, to some prestigious local venues, including 17Nineteen, The City Hall, and The Sunderland Empire.

We can all agree that helping students to see a life beyond their doorstep is paramount to personal development and growth, which is why Mark has made it his mission to organise trips away from Sunderland, the most recent one being a cultural trip to Liverpool. 

Mark is so much a part of the heart of Thornhill, not just for current students, but for those that have been there over the years. Some students have made professional careers within performing arts, thanks to the opportunities Mark made possible in school.

Another triumph that needs recognition is Ollie Wilkinson’s place as runner up in the student Partnership category, and Alex Gillespie as runner up in the staff Equity category. Amazing work, Ollie and Alex!

Other student winners from the night were:

• Equity: Hannah Rowell of Wyvern Academy
• Excellence: Eilidh Stuart of Ellesmere Park High School
• Integrity: Hannah Mabbitt of Heworth Grange School
• Partnership: Grace Collins of Buile Hill
• People-Centred: Gabriel Todd of Armthorpe Academy

The staff winners included:

• Equity: Kat Barton of Ellesmere Park High School
• Excellence: Laura Powell of Moorside High School
• Integrity: Dennis Kwok of Wyvern Academy
• Partnership: Claire Bell of Heworth Grange School
• People-Centred: Natalie Dennis of Washington Academy

Last but by no means least, Shona Bailey was named Central Team Member of the Year.

Staff were delighted with both the event and the outcomes

Tracey Greenough, Interim CEO of Consilium Academies, said: “I’m truly thrilled by the remarkable success of the Consilium Awards on Friday evening. The dedication and excellence displayed by our incredible staff and students was inspiring.

“Their outstanding contributions are the driving force behind our collective achievements. Let’s continue to celebrate and build on this momentum as together we enrich lives and inspire ambitions.”

Robert Bell, Head Teacher at Consilium Evolve, said:  “What a fantastic night it was at the Consilium Academies awards evening. Seeing our brave Consilium Evolve student being recognised was truly heartwarming.

“Everyone had such a wonderful time, and being acknowledged for their efforts by the trust meant the world to them. It was a special moment we won’t forget.”

Sue Hamilton, Head Teacher at Thornhill Academy, said: “It was great for students and staff at Thornhill Academy to be recognised at the Consilium Academies awards evening.  I know everyone who attended had a brilliant evening and that it meant a lot to them to be recognised for their efforts by the trust.”

We’d like to say another huge ‘congratulations’ to everybody who picked up an award at this very special occasion, and also to those who may have just missed out on one this time.

Keep striving to be the best possible versions of yourself and rewards will undoubtedly come your way. We’re already looking forward to next year’s ceremony!

Thornhill Academy and Consilium Evolve are Schools North East Partner Schools. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.

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