News

Let’s start with three big cheers for Katie Ferguson, who has been shortlisted as a candidate for the National School Business Leader of the Year Award!

Hooray, Katie! This is brilliant news.

Students and staff at Wyvern Academy, part of Consilium Academies, were also delighted to hear that their Business Support Officer had reached this monumental milestone.

The awards ceremony will take place at the House of Lords next month and Katie has been invited to attend where she will find out if she is the overall winner.

Fingers and toes crossed for you, Katie.

What are the National School Awards?

The National School Awards will bring together over 250 education pioneers to recognise, celebrate and reward senior leaders, schools, and multi-academy trusts for their dedication and hard work.

This year, the opening speech will be given by none other than Baroness Barran MBE, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the School System.

A huge achievement for Katie

Despite being fairly new to the school, Katie has worked to transform the look and feel of Wyvern Academy, helping boost morale across the school.

She has led the remodelling of the school reception and student areas, both of which now showcase the history of Darlington, with inspiring spaces as a first impression of the school, right from the front gate. 

Unsurprisingly, her work has had  a notable impact on the staff and students who now take even more pride in their school.

This is excellent to hear, and is exactly how we want every pupil in the North East to feel about their school!

Proactive, fearless, and determined

Katie is recognised as being proactive in managing the whole school business and quickly resolves operational issues, which is exactly what a successful school needs.

She is fearless and champions the school at every opportunity, and her work has had a visible impact on her school. She’s accomplished so much already that it’s often forgotten that this is only her first academic year in post!

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Congratulations to Katie and the Wyvern Academy community for this achievement.

Education staff in the North East don’t get half the recognition they deserve on a good day, so it’s always important to pause in moments like this, reflect, and then shout it from the rooftops!

“To be shortlisted alone is a huge, huge win and must be celebrated. We wish Katie the best of luck in the next stage.”

At Wyvern, Katie has implemented new systems of training management, introducing mandatory and vocational courses for school staff, working with line managers to identify and support training needs and ensuring it is completed.

This means the school is now safer and staff have access to a wide range of development opportunities. In fact, this project was completed to such a high standard that it has been implemented across the trust!

Katie Ferguson, Business Support Officer at Wyvern Academy said: “I am so excited to be a shortlisted candidate for the National School Business Leader of the Year Award.

“The support I have received from both the Senior Leadership Team at Wyvern and the Executive Leadership Team at Consilium since I started has been amazing and this shortlisting is a reflection of that. The awards ceremony at the House of Lords will be a wonderful way to finish the year!”

Mr Owen Inglis, Head Teacher at Wyvern Academy said: “Katie is such a huge asset to Wyvern and everyone at the school is delighted that she has made the shortlist. 

“We are keeping everything crossed for her and hope she takes the top prize at the awards ceremony at the House of Lords next month.”

Consilium Academies Trust is a Schools North East Partner Trust . If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.

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