Foundation Awards 2025

The Accessibility Award recognises individuals who are unwavering in their mission to remove barriers—whether seen or unseen—and ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive. These are the quiet champions whose care and determination open doors and change lives.

Highly Commended:

• Diane Baxter – Behaviour Mental Health and Wellbeing Mentor, King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls
• Heather Mound – Head of Year 8, Teacher of Food, King Edward VI Aston School
• Nadia Croft – Teaching Assistant, King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls
• Tayiba Saleem – Head of Year, FLE for Outreach and Teacher of Science, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys

Winner: Claire Toy, Family Liaison Officer, King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls

Claire is a shining role model and continual advocate for accessibility. In just three years, she has made an enormous impact. From raising over £7,000 in Buttle grants for families in crisis, to leading a thriving Young Carers group, Claire is unwavering in her commitment to removing barriers to education. She works tirelessly to ensure students and families get the support they need, whether that’s through housing advocacy, sanitary care, or building trusting relationships with some of our most vulnerable learners.

Ambition drives us forward – but it’s care that sustains us. In our schools, caring colleagues are the glue that hold our communities together. Let’s now turn our attention to the Care Award.

Highly Commended:

• Kate Irving – Head of Art, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
• Kiran Takhar – Headteacher, King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy
• Maxine Pollard – Teaching Assistant and Librarian, King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls
• Natasha Borg & Clair Hughes – Teacher of Art and SEMH Birmingham Pathfinder Family Support Worker at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls
• Sue Yale – Pupil Enabler, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls

Winner: Liz Wills – Headteacher’s PA, King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy

Liz is more than the Headteacher’s PA – she’s the heart of Balaam Wood. Liz goes above and beyond to support her colleagues: from yoga sessions and massage days to Easter egg hunts and mental health awareness events. She’s championed staff wellbeing initiatives, helped achieve the Nourish the Workplace accreditation, and ensured that no member of staff, from cleaners to SLT, feels left out.

Colleagues say Liz has transformed the staffroom into a haven and is always thinking of others, often at the expense of her own wellbeing. Her care ripples through every corridor of the school. She is, without doubt, the quiet force lifting everyone around her.

From team efforts to personal excellence, our next award honours those who exemplify the highest standards of professionalism. Let’s move on to the Excellence Award.

Highly Commended:

• Amy Conway – Data and Examinations Officer, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
• Edward Harvey – Head of Social Sciences, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
• Jack Clements – Head of Chemistry, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls
• James Gordon – Head of Year and PE Teacher, King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy
• Sharon Killeen – Headteacher’s PA, King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls

Winner: Ben Julian, Head of Outdoor Education & Community Engagement Lead AT King’s Norton School for Boys as well as Foundation Leader in Education for Educational Visits

Thanks to Ben’s dedication, King Edward VI King’s Norton School for Boys became the only school in Birmingham, and only the second in the West Midlands, to receive the Gold Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Mark.

Ben’s work enriches students’ lives beyond the classroom, building confidence, teamwork and resilience. He’s a go-to source of wisdom for staff across the Foundation and a champion for high-quality educational visits. This is national recognition, and it’s richly deserved.

Our next award celebrates the power of connection, kindness, and collective action. The Community Spirit Award recognises those who bring people together, champion causes greater than themselves, and strengthen the bonds that hold our school communities together.

These nominees embody what it means to care deeply, give generously, and lead with heart. Let’s shine a light on their inspiring efforts.

Highly Commended:

• The Lettings Team at Northfield School for Girls: Aarti Fanda and Melissa Sword
• Nargis Osman-Ghani – Governor and Safeguarding Lead, King Edward VI Aston School
• Nicola Coggins – Finance and Business Support Coordinator, King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls
• Ryan Toal – Geography Teacher and EDI Lead, King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy

Winner: The King Edward VI High School for Girls Care.Do.Give. team: Becky McKemey, Becky Hindmarsh and Shannon Gales

Community Service education at KEHS was re-energised as Care.Do.Give. (C.D.G.) in autumn 2023, led by Becky McKemey and Becky Hindmarsh, with Shannon Gales subsequently joining the team. The initiative aims to help pupils grow into individuals motivated to serve and give their time (and occasionally finances!) to causes they care about—locally and globally.

Each year group from Years 7–11 supports a charity through weekly collections and events like bake sales, with two student reps per year. The Sixth Form supports one charity with weekly collections and a team of 16 (the C.D.G. team) who drive the wider programme. Whole-school events like Karaoke and Sports Day double as fundraisers, and the KEHS Food Bank and regular drives are also run by C.D.G.

C.D.G. is highly visible across school life, with regular promotion via digital screens, emails, and form times. In just two years, it has become an embedded and vital part of school culture.

The October 2023 inspection report praised KEHS’s charitable work and Food Bank efforts. Around £11,000 has been raised in each of the past two years.

Often working behind the scenes, these individuals are the backbone of our schools. It’s time for the Unsung Hero Award.

Highly Commended:

• Edmond Ngayongeje – Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages, King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy
• Fiona Linley – Reprographics, King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys
• Jerri Dudley – Pastoral Leader for Year 10, King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls
• Kylie Dibb – General Assistant, King Edward’s School and King Edward VI High School for Girls
• The King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls Office Team: Diane Tipping, Donna Smith, Kirsty Graham, Kim Barstow and Sharon Killeen
• Peter Jack – Swimming Club Leader and retired Teacher, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys
• Phoebe Bishop – Head of Student Leadership and Science Teacher, King Edward VI King’s Norton School for Boys
• Terry Daniels – Cleaner, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys

Winner: Lynda Roan – Trustee at King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy

Lynda may have ‘retired’, but you’d never know it. A former Headteacher and National Leader of Education, she now serves as Chair of Governors at two Trust schools, supporting a third as well.

She is known for her tireless challenge, rigorous detail and relentless pursuit of excellence, always balanced with warmth, support and humanity. Her impact at Balaam Wood, especially in its journey to a ‘Good’ Ofsted, has been transformational. Lynda embodies our Trust’s mission to make Birmingham the best place to be educated.