A City of Wolverhampton Council worker who supports home educating families has been presented with a national award. Elective Home Education and Travelling Children Support Officer Hannah Finch, from the Elective Home Education Team, received the Education Otherwise KIT award for excellence from Wolverhampton's outgoing Mayor Councillor Greg Brackenridge recently.
The KIT award was developed as a quality mark to reflect the collective experiences of home educating families, with respect to the quality of support they have received, and recognises officers who have achieved high standards in their role. Awards are based on nominations from home educating families who have direct experience of their own education officer’s work practice.
Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: "It is very important that the council works closely with home educating families to ensure that their children are able to access a broad and balanced learning curriculum, and that they are able to achieve their ambitions and aspirations. The work of people like Hannah and her colleagues is incredibly important to ensure this happens, and it's great to see that it is so highly valued by the families themselves.
"This award is particularly noteworthy because the nominations have come from parents who have chosen to home educate their children, and it is clear that Hannah has forged excellent relationships with them. They see her as someone to whom they can turn for advice and guidance and her involvement as very positive and supportive."
Hannah said: "I’m immensely proud and honoured to have received the Education Otherwise KIT award, it really highlights all the hard work and care the Elective Home Education team show to our families, and I am sure that this will go from strength to strength. I’d also like to thank all the families who I have worked with over the years; this award means so much to me as it was directly nominated by them and I will always be thankful of the warm welcome they have shown me during my time working with them all."
