Member Article

Teesside school bags first place in national awards

Environmentally conscious students at Priory Woods School and Arts College, in Middlesbrough, have won the award for Best Advertisement Competition 2020 organised by Young Enterprise.

The pupils, who competed against 26 other special education needs schools in the national competition, want to spread the message about cutting down on single-use plastics and reusing and recycling items where possible. They collected around 200 used plastic cups from Middlesbrough Football club and used the rims as a base for dream catchers.

Priory Woods School and Arts College caters for pupils from the ages of four to nineteen, with a range of educational needs, including those with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple needs.

Young Enterprise, formed in 1962, is a national charity that works with both the business and education sectors to engage young people, helping them to develop key employability skills outside of the classroom which they can transfer to the workplace. Its vision is that every young person is provided with the opportunity to learn the vital new skills needed to earn and look after their money, to develop an enterprising mindset and make a positive contribution to their communities and wider society.

Dermot de Courcy, founder and managing director of MAXX Designs, judge for the Best Advertisement Competition 2020 award, said: “There were some excellent entries but upon careful consideration we felt that Priory Woods produced the highest standard of work. It was a really great concept, well acted with a strong, clear message, loved it!”

Janis French, head teacher at Priory Woods School and Arts College, said: “What fantastic news! Our pupils are thrilled to have received the award and it is truly deserved for the amount of effort and work they put in. This is only the beginning and they are exploring other ways they can use the re- use plastic cups. We are overjoyed and it is an understatement to say that it is some feat to win a national competition of this standard.

“Challenges such as this are an excellent way for pupils to expand their skill set and the friendly competitiveness creates an excitement that brings the team together and pushes everyone involved to do the best they can. Overall, this was an invaluable experience for our pupils and really put the fun in to learning for them.”

Priory Woods School and Arts College aims to make learning as fun and exciting as possible for all of its children and young people. It believes that children learn best when they are stimulated and encouraged to explore their creativity.

Carolyn Adgar, Young Enterprise area manager North East, said: “The message that the students wanted to spread was very representative of our time and the problems we face with the environment. It is fantastic to see young people taking such an active interest in tackling this massive issue and it will be they who force change. I am extremely proud of the students for the exceptional initiative they have shown and the level of business acumen they possess. Well done to all involved!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Young Enterprise North East .