A WOMAN whose Stourbridge school helps ‘disengaged’ youngsters get ‘back on track’ has been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours.

Janet Lear is the founder and head teacher of the Black Country Wheels School based on the Gainsborough Trading Estate in Stourbridge’s Rufford Road.

The school evolved from “The Wheels Project”, which was instigated by Jan in 1999.

She listened to the needs of the young people she worked with and presented them with a learning platform that they were interested in, engaging them in life skills and improving their chances of future employment.

The Black Country Wheels Project was formed in 2003.

As the project grew local authorities and agencies began to refer students to “Wheels” for Alternative Provision places.

In 2011 Black Country Wheels became an Independent School to allow the work to continue with some of the most vulnerable young people in the local community who have been permanently excluded from mainstream education, or who are at risk of the same.

Full-time or part-time, the school aims to get students ‘back on track’. Students are taught in small groups; a typical group size is six pupils with a member of staff supporting their individual needs.

Students are in Year 10 and 11 and lessons are not restricted to those found in mainstream schools. They have the opportunity to achieve Level 1 qualifications in vocational courses such as Motor Vehicle, Construction and Art and Design, plus other qualifications. There are also many extra curricula activities.

The school is rated Good overall by Ofsted overall and outstanding in students’ learning outcomes.

The Full List of Local Award Winners:

OBE

Christine Ann Hill. Headteacher, Westminster School, Rowley Regis. For services to Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. (Stourbridge)

MBE

Dr Paul Harrison. Clinical Director, Black Country Pathology Services. For services to Pathology in the West Midlands, particularly during the Covid-19 Response. (Stourbridge)

Janet Olwen Lear. Founder and Headteacher, Black Country Wheels School, Stourbridge. For services to Education in the West Midlands. (Halesowen)

Haleema Yousaf. Team Leader, Fair Access and School Exclusions, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. For services to Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. (Solihull)

BEM

Louise Hadley. Section Manager, Marks and Spencer. For services to Customers and the community in Harborne, Birmingham during the Covid-19 Response. (Stourbridge)

Stephen John Sharples. For services to the community in Stourbridge, West Midlands. (Somerset)