Specialist school recognised for championing inclusion with prestigious award

A specialist school in Nottinghamshire has scooped a prestigious national award in recognition of their work championing inclusion.

Wings School Notts in Newark, won the Outstanding Inclusive Practice award at the Youth Sport Trust 2025 Conference Awards, sponsored by Sports Directory and The LEGO Group, which were held in Telford on March 25.

The award recognised a special, Pupil Referral Unit or Alternative Provision school that has used PE, sport and play to re-engage young people, many of whom face varying complex challenges, in their education outside of a mainstream setting.

The Youth Sport Trust is the UK’s leading children’s charity improving every young person’s education and development through sport.

Principal Jake Shelton said: “We have been working hard over the last couple of years to get to this point and winning this award is amazing.

“But ultimately, it is the results we get from the kids that is the reason we all turn up in a morning and do what we do, so this is for them.”

The specialist residential school educate children with a variety of different backgrounds and needs including Looked After Children (LAC), Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (SEMH).

Through implementing initiatives such as the Youth Sport Trust's My Personal Best and Inclusive Youth Leadership programmes, which are led collaboratively by students and senior leadership, the school has seen notable improvements for both students and staff, including an improved sense of belonging felt among the entire community, greater attendance of offsite sporting enrichments and generally improved behaviour.

A celebration of inclusivity attended by key figures from the sporting world, including Clare Balding and Maisie Summers-Newton, the awards recognised the trailblazing schools, trusts and individuals driving transformative change in education through sport.

Hosted by TV personality Radzi Chinyanganya, the evening was filled with insightful discussions and inspiring stories that highlighted the power of sport and play to foster positive change and inclusivity in schools.

Speaking on the importance of inclusivity in sport, Maisie Summers-Newton, four-time Paralympic gold medallist and S6 100m world record holder, took part in a captivating Q&A session where she shared her experience navigating sport with a disability, from childhood through to competing at the Paralympics in Tokyo and Paris.

Assistant head Adam Bailey continued: “It means so much to win this and we are proud to serve the young people we work with.”

Fellow Assistant head and SENCO Jack Linfitt added: “It is vitally important we carry on with our work, not just for the children we work with now, but for the future generations too.”

Clare Balding said: “The power of sport means so much to people and there is nowhere I would have rather been this evening than with the people who are actively changing the world for the better.”

The Youth Sport Trust Annual Conference Awards, sponsored by Sports Directory and The LEGO Group, celebrate schools, settings, trusts, and individuals who, working alongside Youth Sport Trust, have made a real and impactful change to the lives of young people.

Find out how the Youth Sport Trust is building brighter futures for children through sport and play: https://www.youthsporttrust.org/