A Bishop Auckland secondary school has become the first in County Durham to achieve the highest recognition for its out-of-hours study support.
King James I Community Arts College on South Church Road, has achieved the advanced level award from Quality in Study Support (QiSS).
The award recognises quality in activities for young people which take place outside of normal school hours.
Research has shown that young people’s participation in study support has a direct and positive impact on their levels of attainment in the classroom, their motivation and their confidence.
At King James, GCSE results have seen significant improvements in recent years, with out-of-hours learning activities playing an important part in driving up standards.
The College works closely with the King James I Community Association, which shares the college site, to provide study support.
Emma Marley, Study Support Co-ordinator at Durham County Council, said, “This award is something for the college and the community association to be immensely proud of.
“The staff and young people have worked extremely hard to achieve this level of recognition, adopting an approach of continuous development and improvement.
“Hopefully King James I Community Arts College will serve as a positive examplefor other schools in the county to strive to achieve similar levels of quality in study support activities for children and young people.”
The school has been working towards the advanced level award for seven years, having previously achieved the emerged and established levels.
In order to reach advanced level the school was visited and assessed by a senior representative from QiSS, staff from Durham County Council, and a peer scrutineer from a school in Cumbria.
The assessment looked at the facilities and activities provided by the school for out-of-hours study support and included presentations by the headteacher and students. Janet Stephenson, senior teacher at King James I Community Arts College, said, “We are very proud to receive the QiSS advanced award.
“We place great value on our study support activities and they are an integral part of our college life.
“This award recognises the hard work and dedication of staff in delivering a wide range of activities and also the enthusiasm of students who participate in the activities.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
