AWARDS which will recognise young people’s educational progress in Harlow have been launched today by Harlow Council.

Educational progression is vital for young people to fulfil their aspirations and improve their life chances. The Council, as community leader, recognises that it has a role to play in supporting young people in achieving educational progression and to this end undertook a Scrutiny Review in 2012.

Arising out of this review the Council established a Harlow Strategic Partnership for Educational Attainment with representatives from Harlow Council, Essex County Council, Anglia Ruskin University, Harlow College, Harlow Schools, through the Harlow Education Consortium, and the voluntary sector in Harlow. The Partnership seeks to support improvements in educational attainment working with schools, parents and students.

Three prizes 1st, 2nd and 3rd will be awarded to pupils who have made outstanding progress at each key stage. The awards will be open to all schools in Harlow Council’s area. Nominations will be made by the school.

Vic Goddard, Head teacher of Passmores School and Chair of the Harlow Education Consortium, commented, ‘I have known for years just how passionate our local Councillors and the Council’s Chief Executive are about the education of the young people of the town. It is great to see that the Council is willing to recognise just how much progress is being made in our schools and to want to actively reward the remarkable young people that we have the privilege to serve.’

The awards ceremony will take place annually in October with the first prizes being presented in October 2014. The entries will be assessed by a panel of judges drawn from the public, private and voluntary sectors and advised by an educational expert from outside of Harlow.