Local Schools Celebrate National Recognition
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN AND HUGH SULLIVAN
Three local schools are celebrating after being nominated for prestigious national teaching awards recognising the exceptional quality of their teaching and support staff as well as the transformative work taking place in classrooms.
Phenomenal Teachers: Ed Money and Hannah Rome
The three shortlisted schools—Mulberry Academy Hastings, Ark Alexandra Academy and Ark Castledown Primary Academy – have all been recognised for their outstanding commitment to pupils’ life chances, fostering inclusion, supporting student wellbeing and strengthening community ties. Their achievements have placed Hastings firmly in the national spotlight.
Mulberry Academy Hastings
The Mulberry Academy Hastings has been shortlisted in five categories at the prestigious TES Schools Awards UK. The success of the school is also reflected in two staff members being named as finalists in the ‘Subject Lead of the Year’ category.
TES, formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement, has run the national accolades since 2009, with the aim of highlighting and celebrating the efforts and achievements of the teaching profession and the wider school sector.
The national recognition is in stark contrast to just two years ago when the school in Rye Road, Ore, was riven by division. Then, under the auspices of the University of Brighton Academies Trust (UBAT), staff and teachers engaged in a bitter dispute over funding and financial management. There were parental concerns, too, about the use of exclusions as a means of controlling disruptive pupils and a lack of support for the most vulnerable.
Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings and Rye, raised her concerns about the school in Parliament and called on the Department for Education (DfE) to review UBAT’s general management of schools across the town. The criticism and subsequent investigation by the DfE into UBAT’s management practices prompted the trust to announce last year that it would cease running eight schools in Hastings and St Leonards and transfer the control of them to other academy trusts.
The Hastings Academy is now part of the Mulberry Schools Trust [as are the former St Leonards Academy and Bexhill Academy, now respectively re-named Mulberry Academy St Leonards and Mulberry Academy Bexhill]. School Principal Simon Addison has overseen significant changes since his appointment in September 2022 and particularly over the last year.
Pupil attendance figures have increased from 83%, when he took over, to 93% today. This makes the school one of the most improved in the country. School exclusions have also fallen by 50% over the last year, albeit from a high starting point. The Mulberry Trust say they are also investing in alternative provision to support children and young people, prevent exclusion and help them remain within a mainstream setting whenever possible.
The school is awaiting the results of its latest Ofsted inspection carried out in January. Mr Addison says he is confident it will show the school has made “significant improvement”, with an “improved culture and a reshaped, academically rigorous curriculum.”
The success of the school is reflected in strong staff retention. Mr Addison says the loyalty and support of the teaching staff was one of the factors behind the recent decision to admit an additional class of students in the next academic year to meet local demand. From September the school will offer 210 places instead of the usual 180 to meet the strength of preferences it received from parents on National Offer Day.
The five categories the school has been named a finalist in the TES Schools Awards are: Pupil Mental Health Initiative of the Year; Teacher Development Initiative of the Year; Staff Wellbeing School of the Year; Excellence in Pupil Enrichment; and Inclusive School of the Year.
The two teachers named as finalists in the ‘Subject Lead of the Year’ category are Hannah Rome and Ed Money. Mr Addison said their nominations were “so well deserved”, adding “both are phenomenal teachers”. He noted that Hannah Rome, the head of English, had overseen a marked improvement in results, and these are now in line with national averages. Ed Money, the head of art, is credited with introducing a new, aspirational curriculum that has delivered results above the national average.
The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Friday 19 June.
ARK ALEXANDRA ACADEMY
The Ark Alexandra Academy has been nominated in the Outstanding Progress (Secondary) category at the Education Business Awards 2026.
Ark Alexandra was shortlisted following independent research by Education Business, with judges highlighting the school’s strong academic achievements, positive community impact, and contribution to the wider education sector.
The last Ofsted inspection in February 2024 gave an overall rating for the academy as “requiring improvement” – as did previous reports in 2015, 2017 and 2021.
Performance data shown on Ark’s own website shows it having scored below both local authority and England average in overall attainment levels, in maths and English GCSE results, and in stay-in-education/follow-up employment/apprenticeship rates. Its ‘progress score’ (assessed for 2023/24) was rated as ‘well below average’.
But the school has reported a substantial improvement in outcomes last summer, with the proportion of students achieving passes in both English and mathematics GCSE increasing by 13% across the board. Disadvantaged students and those with SEND saw even greater improvements of 16% and 17%, respectively.
Ark Alexandra achieved a 65.2% pass rate in English and Maths GCSE, outperforming both the local authority average (63.3%) and the national average (64.8%). The school now boasts the strongest Key Stage 4 results in Hastings, sitting above the national averages.
ARK CASTLEDOWN PRIMARY ACADEMY
The Ark Castledown Primary Academy in Priory Road is the third local school to celebrate national recognition, picking up two nominations in the Pearson National Teaching Awards.
The school is a finalist for Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year, and Hannah Franklin-Paines is nominated for the Teacher of the Year in a Primary School category. Two other staff members also received accolades with Caitlynn Deeprose being Highly Commended for Outstanding New Teacher, and Claire Blower earning a Bronze Award for Unsung Hero.
The Pearson National Teaching Awards recognised the school’s exceptional impact on pupils’ lives, wellbeing, and inclusion, including its active involvement in community events such as the Old Town Carnival. Hannah Franklin-Paines was honoured for her inspirational classroom practice and dedication to pupils’ wellbeing and life chances.
The award nominations for the Ark Castledown Primary Academy follows the recent Ofsted inspection report which rated the school ‘exceptional’ for inclusion.
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