Students and staff at Wycombe High School are celebrating this week after being nominated for two prestigious education honours, at the first ever Buckinghamshire School Awards.
Wycombe High TV, the UK’s only student-led school TV channel, is one of three finalists in the ‘Pupil Voice’ category, for the “student voice group that has made the biggest positive difference to their school community”.
Meanwhile the school is also one of three finalists in the ‘Senior Leadership Team of the Year’ award, where judges were looking for “an inspirational team who have created a culture of success, one which puts pupils at the heart of everything they do and where pupils feel safe, happy and thrive”.
The accolades come hot on the heels of Wycombe High being named the Sunday Times Secondary School of the Year, just a few months ago.
Since the launch of their TV channel during lockdown, students have produced more than 1,000 hours of content for Wycombe High TV, covering a broad range of topics from news and current affairs to art and culture. The students have access to professional production equipment, three industry-standard editing pods and a state-of-the-art green-screen studio, all paid for by the Parents and Friends Association.
The Leadership Team Award nomination comes less than a year after Nicola Renyard became Headteacher at the school last September.
She said: “We are delighted to have survived two rounds of judging and to be nominated for these two awards. I am pleased for my staff, who work so hard to make Wycombe High such a special place and I am thrilled for the students that their efforts have also been recognised. WHTV is a shining example of how student-led media can empower young people, provide a students’ voice, and foster a sense of belonging within a school and beyond, in the local community”.
Simon James, Service Director for Education at Buckinghamshire Council said: “We received almost 150 nominations in total across the county, a fantastic result in this inaugural year of the Buckinghamshire School Awards. This level of interest in the awards from school staff, governors and Buckinghamshire residents acknowledges the hard work and dedication of school staff working across our county”.
The overall winners, across 12 categories, will be announced at a glittering ceremony at Pinewood Studios on Wednesday 21 June.
