Hazelwood Integrated College Named UK’s Best Secondary School

A north Belfast school has been crowned best secondary school at a UK education awards ceremony.

Hazelwood Integrated College took home the prize of secondary school of the year at the Tes School Awards.

The awards were held in person for the first time in three years in London over the weekend.

Máire Thompson, the college principal, said it was a “great recognition” for the school after a very challenging two years.

Hazelwood is a co-educational, integrated school with students from different cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds straddling the north Belfast peace line.

In 2020, it was the most oversubscribed school in the area, even ahead of grammar schools.

According to Judge Christine Gilbert, It is so unusual, with 58 per cent of students on free school meals and yet it’s more popular than local grammar schools, which says something about parents’ regard for the school.”

Gilbert said the school brings together social workers and youth workers to work with teachers and learning mentors which seems to be pushing the achievement up.

Chief judge of the Tes Schools Awards and editor of Tes magazine Jon Severs said the Tes Schools Awards are the Oscars of education, recognising and celebrating everything that is great about the schools and school staff.