The mother of a Foxes Academy student and 2019 General Election candidate will be jumping out of a plane next week (21 March) to mark World Down Syndrome Day. Annabel Tall says she’s raising money for the Down’s Syndrome Association because the charity has helped her son Freddie, who has Down’s syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder and is also deaf.
On Monday 3rd February, a spectacular event for over 100 guests took place at stunning Clevedon Hall near Bristol. The hospitality students of Foxes Academy teamed up with top chefs to highlight the benefits of employing young people with learning disabilities in the industry. The evening raised over £14k for The Springboard Charity, who help unemployed people of all abilities and backgrounds to get sustainable jobs in the Hospitality Industry.
Following an incredibly busy term staff, students and their families and friends gathered at The Regal Theatre to celebrate outstanding achievements and successes. During the term students had worked tirelessly serving over 600 guests booked in for Christmas functions at Foxes Hotel – double the number they had welcomed the previous year.
Back in November 2018 a group of students from Foxes Academy, a hospitality training hotel for young people with learning disabilities, attended a ‘Tourism Takeover Day’ hosted by Springboard South West. The event took place at the Headland Hotel & Spa, Newquay where Foxes’ students ran a workshop. Teams of young people competed to create the best ‘Foxy’ decorated cake in a 15 minute time slot. The teams were judged on their creativity, ability to problem-solve and work collaboratively. The Foxes students also took part in other workshops, one of which was run by the London Cocktail Club (LCC). At the end of the day LCC’s founder, JJ Goodman, gave an inspiring speech about working life in the hospitality sector.
Foxes Academy students recently visited two of the south west’s most renowned hotels. Saunton Sands is a smart 4* art deco hotel with over 90 rooms, it has a spa and sits atop the cliffs overlooking a stunning North Devon beach. Kentisbury Grange is a luxury 4* country hotel on the edge of Exmoor National Park, a stylish boutique manor house retreat with an award winning restaurant ‘The Coach House’ by Michael Caines. Visiting both venues in one day gave the students aspirations for their future careers. The very different settings enabled the young visitors to consider which environments are best suited to their skills and personalities within the world of work.
Presenter Sally Phillips visits Foxes Hotel as the U.K.’s only training hotel and college for students with learning disabilities. It’s a real hotel and that’s why it’s a success – just check out Trip Advisor says Sally.
On Friday 14th December students from Foxes Academy, their families and staff gathered together at the Regal Theatre in Minehead to celebrate the achievements of 2018. Everything Foxes Academy and Hotel does is focused on its students and ensuring that they reach their potential in life, despite the daily challenges that learning disabilities present. Foxes’ Principal, Tracey Clare-Gray welcomed the audience of 350 people by asking them to celebrate the unprecedented success of gaining a third consecutive ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating and winning the TES (Times Educational Supplement) Overall Further Education Provider and Specialist Provider for 2018 . Foxes won the award against the country’s top mainstream education providers, “We are the best of the best, and that is something we can all be proud of. We will continue to work really hard to maintain our outcomes, lobbying Government and building partnerships with hospitality employers to share the positive benefits that employing a young person with a learning disability brings. 75% of our 2018 graduates moved into supported accommodation, with 86% entering employment, of which 43% are paid. The national average employment rate for people with learning disabilities hovers at about 6%.”
On Wednesday 14 November, the Youth Select Committee launched its report investigating the barriers faced by young people across the country in accessing work experience. Foxes’ student Tom Hawkins gave evidence to the Committee back in July. He also attended the launch of the findings.
Foxes Academy celebrated the end of term with a third consecutive ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted. The grade one in every area means we are the only specialist provider of further education to have achieved this unprecedented result in three successive inspections. It is also a year which saw Foxes awarded the TES Overall FE Provider AND the Specialist Provider for 2018.
Foxes Academy learners were excited to be a part of National Waiter’s Day 2018 which took place in Hyde Park, London. Four students and three former students ran the 100m race carrying a bottle of water and a glass balanced on a tray. Dropping them would have meant being disqualified from the race.
Foxes Academy has been recognised with two major awards – the ‘Overall FE provider of the year’ award and the ‘Specialist provider of the year’ award at the annual Tes FE Awards 2018.
