A TEAM that helps educate teens in an alternative environment to school has won a Kindness in Education award.

The Gateway team at Abingdon and Witney College won the award from Team Kind UK after being nominated by a previous student.

Gateway is an educational provision for 14- to 16-year-olds at the college and is an alternative to a school environment where students can gain their GCSE'S qualifications, vocational qualifications and other qualifications within the college. 

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A previous student nominated the team after the staff ‘changed her life’ after she was bullied in a school environment.

She said: “The people who work there are absolutely brilliant, they have changed the lives of so many young people living in Witney and Oxfordshire as a whole and I hope that as time goes on, more people will be able to learn about the option of Gateway at Abingdon and Witney College which could then offer a path to young people across the county that they didn't think possible.”

Lisa Rideout, the curriculum manager for the team, said that she feels ‘honoured’ to be receiving the award and that it ‘encapsulates exactly what her and her team strive to achieve with their students’.

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She added that her and her team gain inspiration daily from their students, which is something that she feels incredibly grateful for.  

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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @geeharland