On Friday 18th July, something truly special happened.
At Beckfoot Heaton Primary’s Diamond Celebration, an event that brought together over 442 children and their families, we had the honour of presenting the very first iDO BreakThrough Programme Award.
This award is The Dandelion Organisation’s highest honour. It recognises the rare blend of values-led vision, unwavering effort, and moral courage that it takes to be a true change agent, particularly in the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. It celebrates schools where transformational leadership doesn’t just exist on a strategy document, but is lived out in every corridor, classroom, and conversation.
And Beckfoot Heaton lives it out in full colour.
Why Beckfoot Heaton?
Our work at The Dandelion Organisation is rooted in the three pillars of transformation: State, Story, and Strategy. These are the foundations of our flagship iDO BreakThrough Programme and Beckfoot Heaton embodies each one with extraordinary consistency.
- State: The emotional tone and inner climate of a school matters deeply. From the moment you walk through the doors of Beckfoot Heaton, you feel warmth, dignity, and care.
- Story: Students are not just educated here — they’re empowered to rewrite the stories they believe about themselves. They’re taught they belong, they matter, and they can achieve.
- Strategy: From teaching practices to assemblies to corridor conversations, everything is purposefully aligned to the school’s vision and values.
Their “We Are” statements We are safe. We are respectful. We are ready. We are kind. We are proud. We are Heaton. aren’t just mottos. They’re living practices you can hear echoed by the children and mirrored by staff at every level.
Celebrating Zoe and the Whole Team
It was a profound moment to present the award to Headteacher Zoe Mawson, who continues to lead the school with compassion, clarity, and an unwavering belief in what’s possible.
Leadership like Zoe’s is powerful not because it dominates but because it elevates others. What she and the Beckfoot Heaton team have cultivated is more than a school culture it’s a movement for change.
This award was presented because there was simply no question that this is where the legacy needed to begin.
A Moment We’ll Never Forget
The hall was filled with joy, music, and celebration as children beamed with pride, families gathered in community, and values came alive in every direction. To stand in the middle of that and offer this recognition was one of the greatest honours of our year.
We are proud to have Beckfoot Heaton as the first ever recipient of the iDO BreakThrough Programme Award. And we are even prouder to know this is just the beginning.
📸 Photos from the day:
- Families and staff gathered for the Diamond Celebration assembly
- Zoe receiving the award on stage
- The Beckfoot Heaton leadership team holding the award with Simone Richmond outside the school entrance
🌼 The Dandelion Organisation Ltd
Helping to create a happier, safer, brighter world
Founded in 2018, The Dandelion Organisation Ltd delivers personal leadership development programmes across education, business and individual growth. Its flagship programme the iDO BreakThrough Programme supports individuals and organisations in unlocking resilience, purpose and high performance using the core principles of state, story and strategy.