Lift Unity City school in Middlesbrough wins national award(Image: UGC)
A Middlesbrough school is celebrating scooping a national award for the enrichment and development opportunities for pupils. Lift Unity City in the town has again been awarded the Excellence in Pupil Development Award (EPDA), with assessors praising its “strong and positive culture” and “extremely well planned personal development programme.”
The report highlighted the Ormesby Road secondary school’s growing enrichment offer, leadership opportunities and strong focus on character education, alongside a personal development curriculum covering areas such as relationships, health, citizenship, careers, financial literacy and safeguarding.
It also noted the way the school’s vision and values run through daily school life, including displays, rewards systems, coaching sessions and reflective personal development activities.
(Image: UGC)
Students were commended for taking part in a range of social action and community projects, including litter picks, fundraising campaigns and sustainability initiatives, helping to develop civic responsibility and social awareness.
Jill Gray, Principal at Lift Unity City, said: "We are incredibly proud to have retained the Excellence in Student Development Award. The report reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff, students and wider school community in creating a culture where young people are supported to thrive both academically and personally. Personal development is central to everything we do at Lift Unity City, and it’s wonderful to see this recognised once again."
Assessors highlighted the school’s use of specialist external providers, a dedicated coaching approach and the strong relationships they observed between staff and students during their visit. The report described personal development provision at Lift Unity City as “the bedrock of the school” and suggested that “many other schools would benefit from seeing this programme”.
Students told assessors they were proud of their school and appreciated the support they receive to help develop skills and character traits for life beyond school and parents praised the school’s focus on supporting the whole child.
(Image: UGC)
The school’s personal development programme also includes practical life skills, mental health support and teamwork challenges, alongside learning linked to issues affecting the local community. Assessors noted that parts of the programme are adapted to reflect local needs, including the introduction of “Stop the Bleed” training in response to concerns around knife crime.
The EPDA, from Optimus Education, recognises schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to personal development and preparation for life beyond the classroom.
Nigel Whittle, Regional Education Director for Lift Schools, said: "This is a real credit to the hard work and commitment of staff and leaders in building such a strong personal development offer, and to the positive impact this is having on students."
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