A WARRINGTON school has been named in the shortlist for a prestigious education award.

Birchwood Community High School has been shortlisted for Leadership Team of the Year in the Educate Awards 2024.

This is due to the school’s ‘truly remarkable’ commitment to provide support to teachers and students both academically and emotionally, as the school faced some of its darkest times in the last year.

Over the past year, Birchwood Community High School has faced immense trauma, following the tragic murder of its Year 11 student Brianna Ghey in February 2023, and the heart-breaking loss of another student to suicide in August of that same year.

Despite these devastating events, the senior leadership team has shown ‘remarkable strength and resilience’, ensuring the school remains a safe and supportive environment.

They provided extensive emotional support to students, staff, and families, including external counselling, remembrance events, and resources to help the community cope with grief.

And the team navigated difficult challenges, from managing press attention to supporting Brianna’s classmates during their GCSE exams, all while continuing to lead the school forward.

Amidst this tragedy, the school introduced new mental health initiatives such as ‘Time to Talk’ sessions, mindfulness coaching, and mentoring for students, particularly focusing on Year 11, who were ‘deeply affected by the loss of their peers’.

Despite the emotional toll, academic outcomes have remarkably improved, with the school’s progress scores rising by 0.4 last year.

The leadership team's commitment to both the wellbeing and academic achievement of the students has been labelled ‘truly remarkable’.

Winners of the Educate Awards 2024 will be announced on Friday, November 15 during a ceremony held at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

Featuring 21 diverse categories, the awards shine a spotlight on all aspects of education from sports and arts to literacy and the environment.

The shortlist recognises inspiring teachers, dedicated support staff and strategic leadership teams who continue to make a profound impact in their communities.

And the event, which is in partnership with ASL Group, is the largest and most prestigious education awards of its kind.

Schools, colleges, leadership teams, teachers and support staff from across Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester come together to celebrate their achievements in a truly unique fashion.

This year, the Educate Awards has seen a record number entrants, highlighting the ongoing commitment to educational excellence and innovation around the northwest, with a 52 per cent increase in entrants from Manchester and Lancashire.

Kim O’Brien, founder of the Educate Awards, said: “Congratulations to Birchwood Community High School for making this year’s Educate Awards shortlist.

“We are continually amazed by the inspiring work that takes in the region’s schools and colleges, and this year’s shortlist is a testament to the passion and hard work of senior leadership teams, teachers and support staff around the region.

“The quality of the entries we received in 2024 has been exceptional, and we look forward to rolling out the red carpet and celebrating these achievements at the awards ceremony in November."

Kim added: “A huge thank you to partner, ASL Group, and our esteemed associate sponsors for supporting this year’s event. Without their support, this event really would not be possible.”