The Totteridge Academy Awarded by The Sutton Trust

Gold Award recognises commitment to fair admissions

School leaders at The Totteridge Academy are celebrating an excellent start to the term after the Sutton Trust presented them with a Gold Award for Fair School Admissions.

The Sutton Trust is the UK's leading charity for social mobility and giving young people fair access to opportunities regardless of their background. Its Fair School Admissions Gold Award is only given to schools that have made several determined and significant changes to ensure that every pupil, regardless of their background, has a fair chance of admission.

Having already achieved Silver last academic year, this has now been upgraded to a rare Gold Award in recognition of the success of its policies and advocacy for fair school admissions. Highlighted as one of the Sutton Trust's key best practice case studies on its website, the school's decision to reserve sixty admission places for students who are eligible for additional ‘Pupil Premium’ support and live near the school was one of the key measures the charity praised.

Chris Fairbairn, who led the policy update during his time as Principal at The Totteridge Academy, said that the school's leadership implemented the new admissions policy because:

"We all agreed that we wanted to help all children, but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds who would benefit most from great teachers in great schools."

On welcoming the recognition of this policy change through a Sutton Trust Fair School Admissions Gold Award, Chris Fairbairn said:

"We are all extremely proud that the Sutton Trust has recognised the school's inclusive access policy. The fairness the policy promotes goes right to the heart of all the values that we teach our students. There has been a fantastic impact on the whole school's culture, and it has really helped everyone thrive. I am very grateful for all our staff, parents, and community partners' continued support in helping us implement and develop our inclusivity."

Tom Knott, who took on the role of Principal at The Totteridge Academy in September, added:

"Seeing the positive change our inclusive access policy has had on the school over the last ten years has been incredibly rewarding.

“It is of course only one part of our admissions policy but it is an important one – ensuring that, as our school continues to thrive and deliver exceptional education, we are serving local children and families from all backgrounds.

“I would like to extend thanks once again to The Sutton Trust for recognising our commitment to inclusivity and everything this approach has contributed towards our happy, successful and ambitious school community."