Thirty-one schools from around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire attended the Flying High Trust Awards at the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – an annual event that recognises the achievements of staff and pupils over the previous academic year.

Chris Wheatley, chief executive of The Flying High Partnership, said: “The awards ceremony was a real spectacle. a credit to the children and staff.”

Children took to the stage to perform songs for friends and families.

Also included in the evening was an arts showcase, where children from each Flying High school paraded flags through the audience, culminating in a mass of colour on the stage. The flags were created as part of school sustainability projects and made with recycled materials, promoting the message ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to highlight the importance of creating a more sustainable future.

The event saw awards presented that reflect the trust’s values of Aspiration, Confidence, Creativity, Enjoyment, Perseverance, Pride and Responsibility, and All Values, with individual and team awards for achievements in sports, and a recognition of long service.

Ivy Bingley, a year 5 pupil at the Flying High Academy Ladybrook, Mansfield, who is a member of her school’s Pupil Parliament, said: “It was such a fun evening. Watching myself on video on the big screen was so funny and a bit scary, I covered my face while my video was playing.

“After the video had finished, I felt so proud to be part of such an amazing and important event and I had a huge smile on my face all night!”

Enjoyment Award winners included teacher, Robert Hughes, of The Flying High Academy, Ladybrook, Mansfield, with Violet Bingley.

Fellow pupil Violet Bingley, of year 2, was a winner in the Enjoyment Award category and went on stage with her teacher, Robert Hughes, who also received the award. Violet said: “When I was waiting to go on stage Mr Hughes made me feel happy, he was so funny. When I got on stage Mr Hughes knelt down beside me to make me laugh, which took my nerves away. I could see my mummy in the audience, and I felt proud to receive the enjoyment award.”

Jacob Bacon, a year 3 pupil at Sutton’s Leamington Primary Academy, added: “I won the award for confidence. I was really excited to go on stage and when I was waiting to go up on stage I was thinking, ‘I wonder what 4000 people looks like?’ When I got on the stage, I had to stop myself from bouncing up and down with excitement. It was mental!”

Sponsors included Connex Education Partnership and Browne Jacobson LLP. Next Level Sports Ltd presented awards to individual sports winners, and overall KS1 and KS2 school teams sports day winners who took part in the Trust Sports Events earlier in July. Consortium TTS sponsored the Aspiration Award and Streets Chartered Accountants sponsored the Confidence Award, with further awards sponsored by Crawford & Co Surveyors (CC Ltd), Absolute Play, The Lime Trees, Nottinghamshire County Council, Breedon Electrical Fire & Safety, ASL Group, and Trident Construction Ltd.

Children pictured are from Hillside Primary and Nursery School (Hucknall), Hucknall Flying High Academy, Leamington Primary & Nursery Academy (Sutton in Ashfield), Pinxton Village Academies (John King and Longwood) Derbyshire. (Photo: Lou Brimble)

Children on stage at the Motorpoint Arena including Stanstead Primary & Nursery School pupils (Rise Park, Nottingham), and Peafield Lane Academy pupils (Mansfield Woodhouse). (Photo: Lou Brimble)

The Flying High Trust awards were attended by schools: Alderman Pounder Infant & Nursery School (Nottingham), Beeston Fields Primary and Nursery School, Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy, Brooklands Primary School (Long Eaton), Cotgrave Candleby Lane (Cotgrave), Edwalton Primary School, Ernehale Flying High Academies-Ernehale Junior School and Ernehale Infant School (Arnold),  The Flying High Academy (Ladybrook Mansfield), Forest Glade Primary and Nursery School (Sutton), Greenwood Primary & Nursery School (Kirkby in Ashfield), Greythorn Primary School (West Bridgford), Haddon Primary School (Carlton), Hawthorne Primary & Nursery School (Bestwood Village), Hillside Primary and Nursery School (Hucknall), Hollingwood Primary School (Chesterfield), Horsendale Primary School (Nuthall), Hucknall Flying High Academy, Killisick Junior School (Arnold), Leamington Primary & Nursery Academy (Sutton in Ashfield), Mapplewells Primary & Nursery School (Sutton in Ashfield), Peafield Lane Academy (Mansfield Woodhouse), Pinxton Village Academies: John King Infant Academy and  Longwood Infant Academy and Kirkstead Junior Academy, Poolsbrook Primary Academy, Porchester Junior School (Carlton), Rivendell Flying High Academy (Nottingham), Stanstead Primary & Nursery School (Rise Park, Nottingham), and The Green Infant School (South Normanton, Alfreton), Walton Peak Flying High Academy (Chesterfield).