Finchley school wins award hat-trick (From Times Series)

Finchley school wins award hat-trick

7:20am Friday 15th May 2009 in News By Rebecca Lowe

A FINCHLEY school has won three awards for academic achievement in just two months.

Christ’s College Finchley, in East End Road, won two awards from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) for overall achievement and a third award from the Geographical Association (GA) for excellence in teaching and learning geography.

  The first SSAT award recognised the school for being one of the top 20 performing specialist schools in the UK.

It was presented with a plaque at a presentation dinner and ceremony at the Royal College of Physicians on March 10.    Three weeks later the school received an award for being the eighth most improved specialist school in the UK, based on its GCSE results.

Christ’s College Finchley is the only London school to be awarded the Secondary Geography Quality Mark (SGQM) award from the GA in the latest round of prize-giving.

David Lambert, chief executive of the GA, said: “In the early years of the 21st Century there is no more relevant subject in the curriculum than geography, helping young people to understand the world and their place in it.

"The SGQM provides a ‘must have’ form of professional recognition for geography teams in secondary schools nationally."

Fiona McEwan, head of geography at Christ’s College Finchley, said: “I used the SGQM as a tool to shape the direction of the department and to reframe engagement and fun in the learning.

"It seems to be working, with a high level of confidence and enquiry in classes."

Headteacher Gary Tucker said: “We are delighted and extremely proud that the school has received such high recognition for our academic achievement.

"These outcomes are testimony to the blend of hard work and commitment shown by students and staff as well as the effectiveness of our improvement strategies.”