School of the Year

Summer Lane Primary’s inspiring ways of encouraging reading are the last word in creativity. The school’s Reading Week showcased some new ‘reading corners’ with themes like Jungle Hut – complete with Tarzan cushions – a seaside scene with deckchairs, a garden, and Arabian Nights.

Headteacher Rob Smith said: “We gave all the teachers an incentive to come up with inspiring book corners to replace the old one which was just a few books and a bookcase.”

Summer Lane Primary won last year’s School of the Year category after its support for pupil Nathan Padgett, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009.

Nathan’s mum believed the school’s encouragement helped speed up his recovery because it was a place where he felt “happy and safe.”

Mr Smith, a former pupil of Wombwell High School, said: “Winning the award put a smile on everyone’s face. It highlighted all the little things that we do every day that sometimes go unrecognised, and it’s significant the awards are organised by the Barnsley Chronicle - part of the fabric and folklore of the town.”

Among the school’s recent activities are Bikeability sessions to promote safer cycling for children.

This award is open to any primary or secondary school in the Barnsley District. We want to look beyond the traditional methods of measurement – this award isn’t just about exam grades, it’s about schools inspiring pupils to be the best they can be.

The following points are intended as guidelines only, to help you with your nomination.

Tell us something the school seems to be really good at.
Describe things the school does to welcome you and make you feel comfortable? How does the school listen to people’s views and ideas?
How does the school go the extra mile? What has the school done over and above what you might have expected them to?
Has the school done something really special for you or someone you know?
What sort of things does the school do to be part of the local area or community?
What has the school done to help pupils reach their potential?
Tell us how this school inspires people and raises aspirations.

Category Sponsor

Dimensions Hairdressing Company

Peel Street Arcade
Barnsley

Telephone: 01226 284431

www.dimensions-salons.co.uk

The original Dimensions salon in Peel Street Arcade, which opened in May 1973 is still going strong and is now under the control of Tina Shaw, who is a director of the company and the daughter of founder Bill Shaw.

Being one of the first salons in Barnsley to offer ‘precision cutting’ for both male and female clients, it has stayed true to its roots and now prides itself on offering clients great hairdressing at affordable prices, an important factor in today’s financial climate.

Dimensions Training Solutions delivers more vocational hairdressing and beauty training to schools than any other provider in Yorkshire. Each year it delivers a vast range of qualifications to around 500 school children aged between 13 and 16 in over 50 schools across Yorkshire.

Many schools believe that it’s really important that their pupils get a completely rounded education which combines both academic and vocational learning that prepares a large number of school leavers for the Government’s flagship vocational offer – apprenticeships.

Said Bill: “As a company formed and based in Barnsley, we are always looking at ways to ‘put something back’ into the town that’s been so good to us.

“As sponsors of Barnsley Football Club and it’s Academy, we just felt that the Proud of Barnsley awards were a perfect fit for us in terms of our sponsorships.

“As the largest provider of hairdressing training throughout Yorkshire, it makes us incredibly proud to use the strap-line ‘Made in Barnsley’ because we were.

“Delivering hairdressing and beauty training to hundreds of young teenagers each year forms a sizeable part of our business. When we decided to sponsor Proud of Barnsley we felt the ‘School of the Year’ award fitted in perfectly with our ethos for giving the young people of Barnsley the best possible start in the orld of work and areers.”

It makes me very proud that our company, which is the largest independent hairdressing company in Yorkshire, was ‘Made in Barnsley’. Living and working in Barnsley, what I can unreservedly say is that what makes it so special is the people who live here.

Bill Shaw MBE

Chairman and Founder