Trafford’s ground-breaking ‘Belong’ programme has been recognised at a national level after it was shortlisted for two educational awards.
Having won a regional award back in July, Trafford’s Virtual School was shortlisted for the Alex Timpson Attachment Research Centre Award in the category of ‘collaboration’, while Trafford College was up for the Post-16 award – and was delighted to be announced on the night as the overall winner.
The Belong initiative helps schools and colleges to understanding how early relationships and difficult experiences can affect the way students think, feel, and behave. Schools are then supported to develop a compassionate environment where staff feel confident to guide and assist students with challenges resulting from traumatic or difficult experiences.
Despite what its name suggests, the Virtual School is not an online offer, but a Trafford Council team that offers educational support to children who are cared for, adopted or who have had a social worker at some point in their lives. The team also provides specialist guidance and training to schools across the borough.
The Belong programme has now been running in Trafford for three years, with 26 schools now fully accredited, and a further six schools joining the programme at the start of this academic year.
Participating schools have been impressed with the results to date, with attendance significantly improved, persistent absence significantly decreased and suspensions and exclusions also seeing a reduction. Impact has been particularly significant at Trafford College which has seen a 55% reduction in suspension and a 46% reduction in exclusion across its five sites.
Cllr Karina Carter, Trafford’s Executive Member for Babies, Children and Young People said:
“We were delighted to see our Belong programme recognised at this year’s national awards. Developing this initiative has been a huge collective effort from both the Virtual School team and all the participating schools, and we’re excited to see the new approaches advocated by the programme making a tangible and ongoing difference to children and young people in Trafford schools.
“It was wonderful for our Virtual School to be shortlisted and attend the awards ceremony, but the real achievement is the impact the programme is having, and the way it is changing young lives for the better.”
Stuart Beeley, Head Teacher at Wellington School in Timperley said:
“We’re in education because we want young people to succeed, and you only succeed when you’re happy and you feel safe. The Belong initiative inspired us to fundamentally change our approach to behaviour – understanding what the behaviour is telling us and reacting to that in a more thoughtful and appropriate way.
“We’re now starting to see the difference the programme is making in terms of what our young people tell us, and what we see every day in school. The number of days of both suspensions and time spent in reset has more than halved, which is a hugely positive development for our young people and their learning.”
Graham Lucock, Chair of the Corporation at Trafford and Stockport College Group, said:
“We are incredibly proud that our Belong initiative has been recognised on a national stage. This award reflects the dedication of our staff and our continued commitment to creating an environment where all our students feel safe, understood, supported and able to thrive.”
Find out more about the Alex Timpson Award and read more about Trafford’s Virtual School.