News and events
News about the school and forthcoming events will be posted on this page.
High Close tutor wins top teaching award
Posted: 3 November 2009
High Close School’s Head of Art, Samantha Nosal was named as Special Needs Teacher of the Year in the south of England by the Teaching Awards in June 2009. She collected a Silver Plato as her prize and was forwarded to the national finals, held in London’s Theatre Drury Lane on 25 October.
Mrs Nosal was one of 150 worthy regional winners who competed for the 12 coveted Gold Plato awards at the glittering national awards event, which was hosted by TV presenters Christine Bleakley and Jeremy Vine and broadcast live on BBC2. Other guests included musician Jamie Cullum, film director Danny Boyle and actor Patrick Stewart OBE.
Although Mrs Nosal sadly lost out on the top honour, her Silver Plato win is indicative of just how much High Close School is appreciated by its pupils and their family and carers. As one parent said after Mrs Nosal’s win:
I just wanted to thank you for providing my daughter with the patience and understanding she needs, and deserves. It has helped her tremendously over the years, and I hope she will not forget it as she progresses into her future.
Following on from the awards ceremony, Mrs Nosal was invited, together with other excellent teachers to meet the Prime Minister The Rt Hon Gordon Brown at a function held at 10 Downing Street.
For more information visit the Teaching Awards website.
High Close named ‘outstanding’
Posted: 1 October 2009
High Close School was adjudged to be ‘outstanding’ in the most recent Ofsted Social Care Inspection Report, published in June 2009. The report stated that ‘Standards [at High Close] in every outcome area are outstanding’, and went on to praise the school for its introduction of healthier lunches, its approach to combating bullying and the enormous pride that both staff and pupils show for the school.
In a letter to High Close, which came with an Ofsted certificate for ‘Outstanding education, care and skill’, Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Ofsted, noted:
The judgement of outstanding means that your setting is exceptional and significant elements of your work are exemplary. I do not underestimate the considerable hard work, expertise and commitment it takes to achieve outstanding provider status.
The full Ofsted 2009 report can be downloaded on our Ofsted page.
