The remarkable achievements of over 130 children and young people were celebrated on the 5th October at the annual London South East Academies Trust awards evening.
Bringing together nine schools from across Bromley, Bexley, Lambeth and Surrey, along with the Trust’s music service and alternative curriculum college – the special event took place at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.
Pupils were presented with awards for many different achievements, from most progress made, academic achievement and attendance, through to resilience, sports and community.
London South East Academies Trust is a multi-academy trust comprising Mainstream, Special and Alternative Provision schools across the region.
These are: Bromley Trust Academy, Bromley Beacon Academy, Bramley Oak Academy (Guildford), Aspire Academy (Bexley), Heron Academy (Lambeth) Horizons Academy (Bexley), Endeavour Academy (Bexley), Belmont Academy (Bexley) and Woodside Academy (Bexley).
Awards were also presented to students of Bexley Music and London South East Colleges’ Alternative Curriculum College, which are also part of the Trust.
During the event, guests were treated to fantastic performances by Bexley Music students, with a wonderful solo performance by Binu Tenakoon.
Two pupils from Bromley Beacon Academy – Tony Lee Lovell and Harry Thompson - also wowed guests with a DJ performance. This was in partnership with Noise Academy – an organisation which works with young people to promote music technology and helps them pursue interests and careers in the music industry.
CEO of London South East Academies Trust, Dr Sam Parrett CBE, welcomed pupils and guests to the event, saying:
“Hearing about the many achievements of our pupils and seeing them receive their awards this evening is fantastic. Many of our children and young people have had to overcome challenges, but despite these, have shown incredible determination and resilience in their learning and development. As our network continues to grow and we welcome new schools into our Trust, I am so proud of the work we do and the impact our schools have within their communities. Tonight’s celebration truly reflects the collaboration and support seen across our schools. As a Trust, we are committed to providing outstanding education to every single child and this evening’s awards is a wonderful reflection of this. So much hard work is put in every day, both by our amazing staff teams and the pupils themselves, and it is so important to celebrate and recognise this. I am extremely grateful to our staff, our trustees, stakeholders and parents for the continued support they provide. Thank you for everything you do, which makes celebrations like tonight possible.
Deputy CEO of London South East Academies Trust and compere for the evening, Neil Miller, added:
“I am so incredibly proud of every single winner here today and all our wonderful staff who are so committed to their pupils. Our schools are very special places and tonight’s event rightly celebrated the many successes of these amazing children and young people. Bexley Music provided us with stunning performances and Noise Academy, with our two BBA students, was brilliant. Thank you to pupils, teachers, staff and all our families. A huge well done to our winners and please do keep up the good work; you have exciting futures ahead!”
The Chair of London South East Academies Trust, Rama Venchard, was among the guests attending the event. He said:
"This evening's celebration was a wonderful reflection of the hard work and commitment that staff and pupils put in daily. All our schools do a remarkable job, changing lives through fantastic education and care. Well done to everyone involved."
Winners arrived to collect their awards supported by families, guardians, friends and teachers. Here are quotes from some of them:
Alexandra Orfanou, Heron Academy Assistant Head. – “would like to thank you all for attending this special awards night. Congratulations to all of our winners, thank you to teachers and teaching staff, encouragement to fellow students, encouragement to the winners, and more than I can list here. This ceremony award is very special to me as an SLT member because I saw each and every one of you winning an award. I want to thank every staff member who took the time out of their busy schedule to write a nice note and give our pupils the encouragement throughout the year within their achievements.”
Kesiena Akposhoro Heron Academy Year 8 Pupil. - 'The awards evening was good. I wore a pink dress that mummy made. I was happy going on the stage and I really liked my certificate and my medal. I liked the food. It was good to see all my friends getting awards and clapping and to see my teachers and Maria"
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