Thornton College, an independent girls day and boarding school in Milton Keynes has won the Independent Schools of the Year Award.
Mrs Val Holmes, Head Teacher said, “To be The Independent School of the Year for our Careers Programme from all the hundreds of schools that entered the Awards is an amazing recognition for our school and especially for our Careers Team, who go above and beyond to provide outstanding opportunities for our students. The judges particularly noted the relationship we have developed with our local business community and the number of companies involved directly in our Careers Programme. A huge congratulations and thank you to the whole community at Thornton, including our students and their families, our incredible staff who go above and beyond each day and our corporate supporters. We are all absolutely thrilled to win this national award”.
The Independent Schools of the Year Awards is an annual celebration of the successes of schools and their students across the independent education sector in the UK and British schools overseas. Showcasing the excellence of the educational experience available to students of all backgrounds, these awards recognise and applaud the varied and imaginative ways in which independent schools prepare young people for their future lives. The 21 award categories have been designed to reflect the breadth and diversity of life in an independent school in the 21st century and are intended to acknowledge the contribution these often long-established institutions make to both their local communities and wider society in today’s world.
This year Thornton College has been recognised for its outstanding Student Careers Programme.
Each year Thornton College delivers an extensive STEAM, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) programme, which includes inviting other schools to a broad range of events providing employer and university encounters for students from Years 7 – 13. Recent events include building a Formula One car with Sahara Force India and constructing a prototype level crossing with Network Rail. Thornton also runs an Annual STEAM Careers’ Event hosting over twenty leading companies including Unilever, AECOM, Tesla, PwC, Aon and Sport Pesa Racing. This year over 350 students from local schools attended the event and found out more about the range of pathways available on our doorstep. Thornton is also recognised for leading the way in introducing robotics across the curriculum supporting SEND children in social skills and stretching the more able. Thornton College is home to a family of ten Mekamon robots which visit classrooms in the Prep School across a range of specialist subjects.
Mrs Jo Scott, Careers and Enterprise Leader said, ‘We are proud of our extensive Careers Programme and our commitment to supporting students with individualised, bespoke guidance. We passionately believe in providing a broad range of employer and university encounters to allow all our students to build the employability skills that companies seek. To win in such a prestigious competition is fantastic!’
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