Hulme Grammar School recognised with prestigious National Award for Outstanding Community Partnerships

Hulme Grammar School has been officially commended in the national Independent Schools of the Year 2026 awards for Outstanding Educational Partnerships.

The accolade celebrates Hulme’s extensive community outreach programme, which brings together local primary schools, businesses, and sixth-form volunteers to enrich the lives of young people across Oldham and the wider region.  

Developed in close partnership with local schools and the council, Hulme's forward-thinking outreach programme is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Selected from a record number of nominations across the UK, Hulme’s commendation highlights the independent school's deep-rooted commitment to social responsibility, civic duty, and collaborative education. 

A standout example of Hulme's cutting-edge partnerships was the blockbuster Hackathon hosted in December.  The high-octane, 12-hour tech event brought together 100 pupils aged eight to 18 from across the community.  

Tasked with using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build apps, software, and websites, the students worked tirelessly to design innovative solutions for real-world problems. 

The event was made possible through the support of leading industry partners, including Nominet, Purple, CTI Digital, AMEX GBT, Lovable and Koder.ly, who worked alongside pupils to provide real-world technical expertise.  

Building on this monumental success, Hulme has already announced that its next Hackathon will return to inspire more young tech pioneers next year. 

Central to Hulme’s outreach success is the opening of its facilities to local primary schools, ensuring regional youngsters have access to top-tier educational and sporting environments. 

Local primary schools have benefited immensely from using Hulme's premium sports tracks to host their own sports days, fostering a love for physical fitness in professional-grade surroundings. 

Hulme has opened up its dedicated food technology facilities and kitchens to regional primary pupils where children can gain hands-on experience in food preparation while learning vital, lifelong lessons about a healthy diet and proper nutrition. 

A further pillar of Hulme’s recognised outreach success is its focus on future pathways and career inspiration. The school recently hosted two major careers fairs designed to open doors for young people across the borough: 

Senior Schools & Colleges Fair in October welcomed over 300 pupils from senior schools and colleges across Oldham. 

The Primary Careers Fair in June hosted over 200 primary school pupils from across the borough to spark early career aspirations. Both events were supported by Hulme alumni and prestigious industry partners who brought their work environments to life.  

Pupils engaged with diverse sectors, experiencing everything from the arts with the Palace Theatre in Manchester to construction with Hilti GB.  

Additionally, The University of Manchester showcased cutting-edge scientific research using digital microscopes, while Purple.AI offered tech insights into the future of the workplace through the lens of Artificial Intelligence. 

Far from being an isolated school, Hulme Grammar acts as a vibrant community hub. Over the past year, the school’s ambitious outreach initiatives have impacted hundreds of local children through an array of specialised programmes. 

They include Tech & Innovation: From hands-on ‘Primary Engineer’ and coding workshops to dedicated science weeks, Hulme is actively bridging the regional skills gap in science and technology. 

The Sciences and Arts (STEAM): Hulme’s popular ‘Creative Young Minds’ and ‘Enquiring Young Minds’ initiatives provide immersive, multi-week sessions spanning art, music, biology, and chemistry for local primary pupils. Literacy has also taken centre stage with dedicated Creative Writing Days and sixth-formers visiting local schools for paired reading schemes. 

Responding to the announcement, Dr Chris Millington, Deputy Principal (Outreach) noted that “the commendation reflects the daily dedication of Hulme’s staff and students, who passionately believe that excellent education should ripple outward into the wider community”. 

Dr Helen Wright, Chair of the Independent Schools of the Year 2026 judging panel, praised the high calibre of this year's entrants, noting: "The innovative and life-affirming student experience which independent schools provide to their students is awe-inspiring and the stories told in the entries are both moving and humbling. The standard of entries has never been higher, so well done on the success of your school, and congratulations on the great work that you do!" 

As Hulme looks ahead to its 2026/2027 calendar, featuring the return of the Creative Minds series in November and Enquiring Minds in early 2027 , the school is inviting more local businesses to get involved. 

Whether providing a guest engineer for Science Week, sponsoring a coding initiative, or offering industry insights at the next careers fair or Hackathon, local businesses have a unique opportunity to partner with an award-winning outreach programme that directly fosters Oldham's future talent.