New College Leicester Teacher Shortlisted at TES Awards

Everyone at New College Leicester was delighted to hear that Edwina Maguire, our English as an Additional Language (EAL) Coordinator and Teaching and Learning Lead has been named as a finalist at the TES Awards. The national awards bring both independent and state schools together and recognise leading talent and performance within the UK education sector.

Nominated by her NCL colleagues, Edwina has been recognised for the impactful work she has delivered in developing New College into a fully inclusive school and ensuring that all children, no matter their background or acquisition of the English language, have access to a wide and varied curriculum. It is the care and passion for every student’s success, personal and academic that sets our approach to inclusion apart, and this has been pioneered by Edwina.

Over 50 languages are spoken at New College and Edwina has guided the school to fully integrate EAL teaching across the curriculum. This strategy has improved the academic achievement of students and has supported their integration into the school.

This decision to fully integrate students learning EAL has ensured that Progress 8 figures for these students are consistently above the national average which demonstrates the significant impact of Edwina’s vision in improving the life chances of these young people. NCL’s 2022 Progress 8 figures for students learning EAL was +1.14 compared to a national average figure of +0.55.

Edwina has championed inclusivity across our school and has built a workforce of staff who are ambitious for students learning EAL and who strive to ensure that children develop a sense of belonging and are encouraged to take part in some of the wide-ranging opportunities that are available at New College.

This approach has led to New College securing the coveted Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship School status and maintaining it for the past three years. It is the only coeducational school in Leicester to have achieved this award, and one of only 100 schools in the UK

Jane Brown, Principal of New College comments: “Edwina’s impact on New College and the learning outcomes for all our students has been transformational and I am delighted that she is a finalist in the awards.

“She’s the big personality that can draw staff and students into engaging with the school agenda and has the energy to keep the momentum for high quality teaching and learning moving forward. Not only is Edwina having an impact at New College she is also training other local schools in Leicester in how to become more inclusive and has presented evidence to the Minister of State for Education on the issue of EAL students, new to the country with no KS2 data, not being recognised in schools Progress 8 exam data. This potentially allowed less inclusive schools to ignore or not fully meet the needs of these students which goes against the values of New College.”

Edwina Maguire EAL coordinator comments: “I am an educator and an advocate for students, and I want to help all students feel valued and give them the skills and belief to help them achieve their goals, no matter their background. This approach is shared by my colleagues at New College which is one of the reasons we are having a positive impact on our students and are proud to be part of a city which celebrates diversity. This is now being recognised by leading educational organisations such as TES and IQM.

“I am very proud to be a finalist, and proud of the work we are doing as a team here at New College.”

For more information about the awards visit: https://www.tes.com/en-gb/schools-awards