HEAD teacher Calvin Kipling has boosted the school trophy cabinet adding yet another accolade to a string of recent awards.
For his work steering Darlington School of Mathematics and Science to greater fortunes, Mr Kipling has been awarded Head teacher of the Year in the prestigious Northern Echo Teaching Awards.
The recognition comes on the heels of national acclaim after DSMS secured the Prince’s Teaching Institute School Leadership Programme Mark just weeks after receiving recognition from the same body for music and arts.
And it highlighted the progress the academy has made which was recognised by Ofsted officials who awarded the school ‘good’ in key areas including leadership and management, teaching and pupil behaviour.
“It is a tremendous honour being recognised nationally and locally for the work we are doing at DSMS,” Mr Kipling said.
“The school has been on a long and tumultuous journey since we took over the reins and it became an academy. All the awards recognise my efforts and those of the staff and governors.
“Success breeds success and this spurs us on to continue the good work. But we could not have done this without the unrelenting support of students and parents.” When Mr Kipling became head teacher in 2010, the school was languishing in the bottom one per cent nationally.
A new name, cultural shift and overhaul of curriculum and facilities has seen it secure a position among the best 17 per cent of schools in the country.
Mr Kipling said: “School provides the foundations for the lives of young people and everything we do here is to ensure they receive the best possible start so they can maximise opportunities in the future.
“To this end we strive to provide an interesting curriculum that stretches and challenges students but also one that they enjoy.”
He said the academy had an on-going programme which was constantly questioned, adapted and honed to ensure the students received the very best education.
