We are delighted to announce our success on receiving the Gold Award for the 'Excellence for Employee Wellbeing' by One Education Ltd. The assessor looked into our policies and procedures and met a number of our school staff throughout her visit. At Pioneer House the wellbeing of our fabulous school team if of paramount importance to us and we are delighted this has been recognised.

As our assessor stated on our report November 2023:

Wow!! So happy for you that you can now call that glitter you sprinkle GOLD!! Staff I met were  very aware of how lucky they are with access to the required resources, skills & knowledge to give the best possible support to your pupils and I really was blown away by how much pride they all take in their roles. The work towards reducing workload and ensuring that training and CPD is relevant and focused was also appreciated and recognised by staff, something to be really proud of. Here are some of my favourite quotes from my interviews today:

"We are one big team here"

"There is a true open-door policy, no-one is unapproachable if you need anything"

"I feel so lucky to work at Pioneer"

"I have never had that "Sunday night dread" feeling working here, I love coming into work"

"There is no greater reward than seeing the difference we make for our students"

"I am so proud to be part of something as great as this school"

At Pioneer House we are proud to be a Gold Artsmark Certified School.

Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings, accredited by Arts Council England. Artsmark aims to:

Support the health and wellbeing of pupils with arts, culture and creativity. 

Ensure every young person can be creative and have access to a diverse and high-quality cultural education. 

Our Artsmark Journey

We began our Artsmark Journey in May 2023, when we pledged our commitment to raising the quality and engagement in arts at Pioneer House. Over the next two years, as a whole school, we will be working towards:

Ensuring our arts curriculum is a positive and inclusive experience for all pupils. We want to engage and empower our young people, and demonstrate to them equity, relevance and diversity for all.

Pupils and staff will be committed to striving for excellence and innovation. Staff will be able to develop creative young people through embedded, quality, staff development.

Developing belonging and ownership in the arts, by building local connections and developing cultural entitlement for all children and young people.

What will this look like at Pioneer House?

Develop ownership and belonging by creating consistent ways of sharing work and achievements with parents, students and other stakeholders.

• Reviewing the arts curriculum and how we can include events and inclusive artists.
• Linking our arts curriculum to our IQM outcomes.
• Continuing to invite parents to KS3 termly concerts.
• Begin to hold gallery evenings in community café.
• Share students artwork in wider community.
• Display student artwork around school.

Develop further links with practitioners and organisations who are a part of the Manchester arts community, to help them understand our students as potential employees.

• Strengthen our relationships with BreakDance Manchester and Digit Music.
• Offer quality first, research led training to practitioners who work with our students.
• Produce case studies on impact of this on students.
• Share case studies with wider arts community.
• Develop good practice guidebook for future practitioners.
• Advocate for students through community platforms.
• Continue to work with Arts programs, including RET, Manchester Hip Hop Archive, CREATE.

Upskill our teachers in music and art specific skills, and how the arts can support important employability skills.

• Offer quality Art and Music CPD to staff.
• Carry out supportive creative arts learning walks.
• Facilitate peer observations of art and music lessons to support good practise being shared.
• Enhance employability skills and cross curricular links within the arts curriculum.

If you would like to learn more about Artsmark please follow the link below;

https://www.artsmark.org.uk

At Pioneer House, we are incredibly proud to have achieved the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award in 2025. This prestigious international award recognises schools that are committed to raising environmental awareness and taking meaningful action to create a more sustainable future.

Over the past five years, our dedicated Eco Club, alongside pupils and staff across the school, has worked tirelessly to make Pioneer House a greener, healthier, and happier place to learn. By exploring all ten Eco-Schools topics, we have introduced positive changes that have strengthened our commitment to environmental responsibility and inspired our whole school community to take action.

Achieving the Green Flag Award is a fantastic milestone, but our journey does not end here. We remain committed to developing our eco-friendly ethos, enhancing our green spaces, and ensuring that sustainability remains at the heart of school life. We will continue to work closely with our local community and seek new opportunities to make a positive impact both locally and globally.

Eco-Schools Green Flag Award 2025 Feedback

Our greatest overall success:

"Pioneer House High School cultivated energy conservation habits among students and staff by promoting awareness and responsible actions. Simultaneously, collaboration with the local community fostered stronger bonds and highlighted global inequalities in water accessibility, inspiring a commitment to resource conservation and equity."

This wonderful feedback reflects the enthusiasm, teamwork, and dedication shown by everyone at Pioneer House. We are excited to build on this success and continue making a difference for our environment and future generations.

Pioneer House High School are proud to have achieved the Silver Healthy Schools Award.

At Pioneer House we are working closely in partnership with the Manchester Healthy Schools Team tackling health inequalities and improving the health and wellbeing of all of our students.

A Healthy School: Is one that promotes physical, social, emotional and mental health and helps equip pupils, staff and families with the skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their health. Is successful in supporting pupils to do their best and build on their achievements; it is committed to ongoing improvement and development and recognises the importance of investing in health and wellbeing to assist in the process of raising children and young people’s achievement levels. This involves the whole school community, parents, governors, staff and pupils in improving children’s health, wellbeing and happiness, helping them to get the most out of life.

We are proud to announce that Pioneer House High School holds the Inclusion Quality Mark Award (IQM). This award recognises Pioneer House as a school that demonstrates a strong commitment to outstanding levels of inclusive best practice and our ongoing commitment to developing educational inclusion.

The assessor acknowledged in June 2023:

‘It is clear from the evidence submitted that the school has a deeply embedded commitment throughout the school to inclusive values and practice. The school’s core values of Community, Diversity, Learning, Wellbeing, Work and Independence really come to life as you spend time looking through the school website and speaking to all sections of the school community from pupils and parents through to teachers and Governors. Strong leadership reinforces inclusion as a priority at Pioneer House’.

‘Parents spoken to as part of the IQM assessment clearly felt that their children were cared for as individuals and that the school would also support them as parents through difficult times and beyond’.

‘I was hugely impressed by the commitment of Pioneer House to the wellbeing of the whole school community – pupils, parents and staff. The amount of work they have put into this area is significant’.

‘A strong community of belonging ethos permeates every aspect of the school’s development – the passion of the staff came across strongly in their interviews – both their desire to enable every young person to succeed and their commitment to self improvement’.

‘Students spoke with maturity about how they were able to influence change and suggest improvements at school through the School Council, but also about their responsibilities to others in their local community’.

We are incredibly proud to share that Pioneer House High School has officially being awarded the Gold Rights Respecting Schools Award by UNICEF. This recognition celebrates the commitment of our whole school community to promoting children’s rights, respect, inclusion and pupil voice in every aspect of school life.

“Students demonstrated secure knowledge of a wide range of rights. They could name and apply specific rights, including non discrimination, education and protection. They spoke about global issues such as war, poverty and exploitation, with one student explaining, “We need to understand the rights we have.” Whilst another said, “All children have rights until 18 and then they have human rights.” These, and many other rights, are reflected in their daily practice, classrooms and processes”. (RRSA Team)

The Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) is an initiative run by UNICEF UK, which encourages schools to place the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the forefront of its culture and curriculum.

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation working for children and young people and their rights. In 1989, governments across the world agreed that all children have the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential.

Our Core Values

• We respect each other – Article 1
• We value the wellbeing of all staff and students – Article 12, Article 13, Article 24
• We expect the best – Article 23, 28
• We value co-operative learning – Article 15. Article 29
• We recognise that everyone is an individual and we value diversity – Article 1, Article 2. Article 8, Article 14, Article 30
• We value learning – Article 31, Article 32

What do we do at Pioneer House to promote the Rights Respecting Environment?

• Collective Worship time creates an opportunity for students to explore the Rights of the child.
• Assemblies are underpinned by our school core values and the Rights of the child.
• School Council and Steering group represent the school community and ensure that students voices are heard and reflected in school life.
• Positive behaviour support policy to promote the wellbeing and safety of all students at Pioneer House.
• Parent coffee mornings to discuss Children’s Rights with parents and carers.
• Rights Respecting celebration days organaised by School Council and Steering group.
• Opportunities to support people in our local community – food banks, Big Feed, Children in Need.

To read more about UNICEF Right Respecting Award follow the link below:

https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/

We are proud to announce that in Summer 2024 Pioneer House achieved FLAGSHIP STATUS Skillsbuilder Award for the second time.. 

Pioneer House have worked with Skillsbuilder over several years to build an appropriate careers and employment curriculum for SEN students in order for students to acquire, practise and build upon the 8 Essential Skills. Having earned the Skillsbuilder Gold award in 2021 for a dedication to employability skills education, Pioneer House has been further recognised for their contributions. This has included contributions within our own school as well as being recognised for the supportive work and impact with organisations and educational providers across Greater Manchester and beyond. Pioneer House are one of the first schools in the country to earn the Skillsbuilder Flagship Status! 

The flagship status is award for those modelling best practice in high-quality essential skills education and where: 

The school have fully embedded the Skills Builder Principles 

All teachers are confident educators of essential skills 

Essential skills education is fully integrated into daily practice 

The school actively support and have impact supporting other schools and organisations. 

As a school we are so proud of the work the students and staff have put into the Skills Builder activities and are delighted that this hard work has been recognised with the FLAGSHIP STATUS award.  

We have been accepted onto the Skills Builder programme for next year and can’t wait to continue and extend the fantastic work. 

We are confident that this will help students develop skills for life and will dramatically improve their employability as adults. 

“All the schools and colleges who have achieved a Skills Builder Award this year have demonstrated that they are committed to ensuring that every one of their students builds the essential skills to succeed. These essential skills have been needed more than ever this year: speaking, listening, teamwork, leadership, creativity, problem solving, aiming high, and staying positive. We congratulate them on a brilliant achievement.” 
- Tom Ravenscroft, Founder & CEO, Skills Builder Partnership 

About the Skills Builder Partnership 

The Skills Builder Partnership brings together more than 700 organisations towards a common mission: ensuring that one day, everyone builds the essential skills to succeed. We work with educators, employers and impact organisations to establish a shared language, principles and outcomes for eight essential skills which drive learning in school, underpin success in employment and foster life-long personal and professional development. Please visit www.skillsbuilder.org for more details. 

At Pioneer House, our vision is rooted in a moral commitment to provide students from all backgrounds with an exceptional education that combines academic, cultural, social, spiritual and moral development. We believe that respecting and valuing individual differences, alongside the appreciation and promotion of cultural diversity, is crucial if every child is to thrive.

We are committed to breaking down barriers and cultural divides, instilling values of acceptance and mutual respect that children and young people will carry with them throughout their lives.

We are incredibly proud to have achieved the Rainbow Flag Award in February 2026. This national quality assurance framework recognises our commitment to promoting positive LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other related identities) inclusion and visibility across the whole school community.

The award reflects the work we have undertaken across six key areas:

• Skilled Teachers
• Supportive Governors and Parents
• Effective Policies
• Inclusive Curriculum
• Pastoral Support
• Student Voice

Achieving the Rainbow Flag Award demonstrates our whole-school approach to LGBT+ inclusion and our ongoing commitment to challenging and combating LGBTphobic bullying. It strengthens our provision and ensures that we continue to create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all pupils, staff and families—fully aligning with Pioneer House’s Safe, Respectful and Ready to Learn mantra.

We are especially proud that this recognition reflects the lived experiences of our students. As shared by the award moderator, students spoke powerfully about the support they feel:

• “I feel listened to and they understand how I'm feeling inside.”
• “I've come out and there is support everywhere you go, step-by-step.”
• “There is help if you're worried about anything.”

These voices capture exactly the environment we strive to create—one where every young person feels seen, supported and able to be themselves.

Achieving the Rainbow Flag Award is not an endpoint, but a milestone. We remain committed to continuing this work and ensuring that inclusion, respect and belonging are embedded in all aspects of life at Pioneer House.

We have officially been recognised as the first specialist school in the North West to achieve CyberFirst recognition,  a huge milestone for our students, staff, and community.

This achievement reflects our commitment to inclusion, innovation, and giving our young people meaningful opportunities in digital learning and cyber skills. At Pioneer House, we believe every student can thrive when given the right support, and this recognition is a powerful reminder of exactly that.

A huge thank you to our partners at IN4 Group for their support and collaboration.

Read the full story here

TES Awards 

Winner - Community Engagement Initiative of the Year

This national award recognises the outstanding impact of our community partnerships and our commitment to ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to develop the confidence, independence and employability skills they need beyond school.

At the heart of this achievement is the Strawberry Fox Cafe - our student run community cafe where learning comes to life. More than just a cafe, it provides meaningful real world experiences that allow our students to develop communication, teamwork, customer service and workplace skills while becoming valued members of their local community.

We remain committed to building an inclusive future where every young person is empowered to achieve ans succeed.

Winning Community Engagement Initiative of the Year 2025 is a wonderful milestone but it is also an inspiration to continue developing innotive opportunities for our young people.

Shortlisted - Specialist Provision School Leader of the Year.

Lead Deputy Headteacher Michelle Wilkinson has lead her team in developing our highly successful 'Accessing the Community' curriculum which provides our learners with meaningful opportunities beyond the classroom.

Through regular visits to local businesses, leisure facilities and community venues, students develop independence, confidence and practical life skills.

The Young Green Briton Challenge is a national program empowering students aged 11–16 to create entrepreneurial, eco-friendly solutions for local climate issues. Operating in schools nationwide, pupils design "Eco-Ventures" or "Eco-Campaigns" and pitch them "Dragon's Den" style to win funding and mentorship. Working as a dedicated team known as The Green Pioneers, students utilised a closed-loop system which recycles fish waste into nutrient-rich plant feed, enabling the sustainable cultivation of a range of leafy green vegetables.

Students from our Land-Based Studies vocational group ‘The Green Pioneers’ proudly represented Pioneer House at the Young Green Briton Challenge North West Regional Showcase, held at Manchester Metropolitan University. 21 schools in the North West Region took part. Using our Farm Urban hydroponics system, they confidently pitched their innovative project to an audience of over 150 guests, showcasing their knowledge and passion for sustainable, eco-friendly food production.

Our students spoke articulately about how hydroponics can support the local community through the environmentally conscious production of leafy greens, demonstrating both their understanding and commitment to sustainability.

This provided a significant opportunity for students to showcase their work on a wider platform, demonstrating how growing their own produce can actively reduce carbon emissions.

Pioneer House were the only specialist setting taking part and their hard work was recognised winning the Runner-Up Award, along with £200 funding to further develop the project – a fantastic achievement!