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| Sunrise, Kithnos Island, Greece 1st September 2011 |
The Avenue, together with 11 other special schools, are the first to gain Academy status.
I'm fortunate to be the Chairman of the school's Governing Body. It is fantastic news and is the start of a new era for The Avenue School, one which I am sure will enable us to provide even better care and education for our pupils, as well as opening up further opportunities for staff to share their expertise with others.
Headteacher Sue Bourne commented "I am delighted that the outstanding success of the school has been recognised, and to be one of the first to achieve this status is a real tribute to the whole team. Aileen McCallion, the school's Finance Manager, has devoted much time during the school holiday to ensure that all the required documents were completed and that the whole team working on the conversion were fully informed, even whilst on summer holiday. The school's thanks go to her in particular, but also the many people who have supported the conversion along the journey."
Sue added "The school is indebted to the people of Reading and the team at Reading Borough Council who ensured that the school is now housed in a wonderful building. It values its relationship with the Local Authority with whom it wishes to continue to work closely, for the good not only of the pupils with special needs who attend the school, but also those with special needs in other schools."
Alok Sharma MP said "Congratulations to Sue Bourne and her whole team on achieving academy status so quickly. The Avenue is a truly outstanding school in every way, and I am certain that, as an academy, it will continue to set the pace nationally as a centre of excellence for teaching students with complex special educational needs."
