Well done Sir! Philip’s a top class head (From Echo)

Well done Sir! Philip’s a top class head

5:44am Saturday 29th September 2007 in

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A HEADTEACHER who transformed a once failing school into a centre of learning excellence is in line for a prestigious national leadership award.

Philip Bell, head of Beauchamps High School, in Wickford, has been recognised for his outstanding accomplishments after being shortlisted for an accolade in the Public Servants of the Year Awards.

The 57-year-old, who joined the school in 1993 as deputy head, has pulled out all the stops to bring the school up from the brink of failure.

When he took over the helm as head in 1996, the percentage of pupils leaving with five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C was a dire 27 per cent.

Eleven years on, the school, which is now oversubscribed, boasts an 80 per cent GCSE grades A* to C pass rate, together with an A-level pass rate of 96 per cent.

Beauchamps has become one of the top performing comprehensives in the country.

With a school motto of "Improvement is limitless" to be inspired by, Beauchamps students have access to a variety of top class educational courses.

The school specialises in business and enterprise but, along with traditional core subjects, a multitude of modern courses, including DJ mixing, electronics, Renaiss-ance learning and nail art are all on offer.

An Ofsted report last year praised Beauchamps as an "outstanding school" - the highest level a school can reach.

The results have not, however, been achieved at the expense of other activities.

Many courses and projects are undertaken during both school hours and in the evenings for pupils, parents and the local community.

The Public Servants of the Year Awards are organised by the magazine Public Finance, with support from the Cabinet Office.

Guy Roberts, spokesman for the awards, said: "The achievements of Philip Bell typify the aims of the Public Servants of the Year Awards, which are now in their seventh year, to promote and publicise the huge amount of good work being done in the UK's public services.

"The awards celebrate the unsung heroes, individuals and teams, working for emergency services, schools and local authorities, all of whom are improving communities across the UK."

The winners will be announced on October 16 at a ceremony in Central London.

Mr Bell, who lives in Colchester with his wife, Linda, said: "I am very honoured to have been nominated. I think I was put forward by someone at the school.

"When I started we had less than 500 pupils, now there are 1,300. But I have to stress we have a fantastic team of teachers, staff, governors and very strong parent support - all of which is extremely important in creating a successful school."

Mr Bell, who started out as a young teacher in Witham after completing his degree, doesn't teach now because running the school takes up so much time. He said: "I do miss teaching in a way, but if I were to take a class now I would constantly be having to pop outside to sort something out. I wouldn't want to disrupt pupils' lessons like that."

The school is hoping to announce plans this year for a second specialist status in vocational training.

"We want to be able to offer our students who want to go down a vocational route the best courses available," he added.

As for the awards, he said: "Of course it will be fantastic to win but getting nominated is wonderful recognition. I'm looking forward to the ceremony, it should be a good night."