Post 16 students at Laleham Gap School in Ramsgate are getting used to receiving plaudits for their achievements. Now they have received not one but two big Kent wide accolades via The Kent Green Awards.
Teacher Paul Ursell’s Post 16 students had already become known as ‘Trailblazers’ when they submitted their ‘Transforming Thanet Travel’ proposals as part of the Young Travel Ambassadors scheme.
They attended the Kent Green Awards ceremony at the Ashford International Hotel full of pride at what they had achieved. Every school represented at the event were winners and every project was “truly inspiring,” said presenter Nicola Everett.
However, the biggest accolade came as the judges chose Laleham Gap School as the winner of the winners in their category (Cleaner Air and Climate), making them Kent-wide overall champions.
Mr Ursell said “It was great to see the hard work of my students doubly rewarded. They now know that their project was a winner among winners. Even better, this was a project from my class last year and they have built in legacy to their project, which is continuing to pay dividends.”
As proof of that in-built legacy Mr Ursell’s new class this year are also doing the Young Travel Ambassadors scheme and are aiming to come up with yet more Green Travel initiatives.
Mr Ursell was able to take three students who did the scheme last year to the event and two of them went up to get the trophies. In the next few weeks both of the framed certificates should go up in the School’s reception area and the glass trophy in the school’s display cabinet.
Lorna Smith from KCC’s Safe Road User Officer, who developed the YTA programme, said she felt “incredibly proud of the achievements the Laleham Gap students made through the YTA programme,” and that “the students are a credit to Mr Ursell’s motivation and they exemplify the key attributes of ambassadors for the school.”
The ongoing scheme has already resulted in fortnightly bike repairs at the school, safety posters and new equipment to encourage cycling, alongside emails and letters about cycle paths and successful Bikeability Level 1 and 2 courses coming into the school.
