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Finalists announced for Church School Awards 2012

Ten regional winners have been announced for the second annualChurch School Awards. The awards will be presented at a specialGala this summer, which will be hosted by Children's TV PresenterKirsten O'Brien, to be held in London on 28th June.

Schools from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland were judgedon how they foster strong community relations, both locally andnationally. More than 250 schools applied to take part and thefinalists were chosen from a shortlist of more than 100schools.

The Regional Winners are:

NE and East Anglia Primary - Wilberfoss CE VA Primary School, York(Anglican Diocese of York)
NE and East Anglia Secondary - Notre Dame High School, Norwich (RCDiocese of East Anglia)
NW and Northern Ireland Primary - St Comgall's Catholic PrimarySchool, Bangor, County Down (RC Diocese of Down and Connor)
NW and Northern Ireland Secondary - Trinity CE School, Carlisle(Anglican Diocese of Carlisle)
Midlands Primary - Queniborough CE Primary School, Leicestershire(Anglican Diocese of Leicester)
Midlands Secondary - The National Church of England Academy,Nottingham (Anglican Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham)
SW and Wales Primary - Durweston CE VA Primary School, Dorset(Anglican Diocese of Salisbury)
SW and Wales Secondary - Corpus Christi Catholic High School,Cardiff (RC Archdiocese of Cardiff)
London and SE Primary - Parish Church CE Junior School, Croydon(Anglican Diocese of Southwark)
London and SE Secondary - Kent College, Canterbury (MethodistIndependent Schools)

Special Commendations:

St John Houghton Catholic School, Ilkeston (MidlandsSecondary)
St Andrew's CE/Methodist (Aided) Primary School, Dronfield(Midlands Primary)
St John Fisher Catholic High School, Peterborough (NE and EastAnglia Secondary)
St Thomas' CE Halliwell, Bolton (NW and Northern IrelandPrimary)
Notre Dame RC School, Plymouth (SW and Wales Secondary)
Archbishop Benson CE Primary School, Truro (SW and WalesPrimary)

Regional prizes will be awarded at both primary and secondarylevel, with overall national winners for both phases drawn fromthese regional winners. The Gala will take place in London, atMethodist Church House, on the afternoon of 28th June, with VIPs,sponsors and partners of the Church School Awards all presentingthe schools with their prizes. Schools were asked to describe whatnurturing global citizenship and fostering community cohesion meanto them, and how these principles are embedded in schoollife.

Lisa Nolan, Education Development and Improvement Officer forMethodist Children & Youth, said: "We have again beenoverwhelmed by the level of interest in the Church School Awards.The standard of application has been very high, and we look forwardto celebrating educational excellence at the Gala thissummer."

Nicola Sylvester, Head of School Effectiveness for the Church ofEngland's National Society said: "These awards offer recognition tothe many church schools that are making a huge difference in theircommunities, and we're looking forward to expanding the awardsnationwide in 2013."

Susan Kambalu, Secondary INSET Co-ordinator for the Catholic Agencyfor Overseas Development (CAFOD), said: "It is exciting to see somany schools engaging with global justice issues across thecurriculum, enabling young people to develop empathy with andunderstanding of their neighbours in the global South."

The Church School Awards were established by Emmaus Recruitment, arecruitment specialist of teaching and leadership staff for Churchschools, and are supported by the Church of England's NationalSociety, Methodist Children & Youth, the Catholic Associationof Teachers, Schools and Colleges (CATSC), Northern Ireland'sCouncil for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), aid and developmentorganisations including CAFOD, Christian Aid, World Action inMethodist Schools, World Aims and many other supporters.

www.churchschoolawards.com