We were delighted to hear the news that former pupil Andrew Miller (class of 1984) had been awarded an MBE in the 2021 New Years Honours List for services to disabled people in the cultural industries.

Andrew was the first wheelchair user to attend the High School (from 1978 – 1984), while his older brother Iain Miller OBE also attended the school in the 1960’s. He has been transforming perceptions and raising the profile of disability throughout his 30-year career in the UK’s cultural industries, and is widely recognised as one of the most influential disability advocates in the UK with extensive experience of the arts, education, broadcast and film sectors.

Starting out in broadcasting in the 1980’s, Andrew belongs to the first generation of disabled presenters of British television and has produced and directed BAFTA nominated documentaries. He is a National Council member of both Arts Council England and The Arts Council of Wales, is a trustee of Welsh National Opera, a member of BAFTA and is Chair of the BFI Disability Screen Advisory Forum.

In 2020 he co-founded the UK Disability Arts Alliance, #WeShallNotBeRemoved to support disabled artists and disability arts organisations through and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew is also the UK Government’s first Disability Champion for Arts and Culture, establishing the role as a powerful campaigning platform for greater inclusion across the arts, museums and film. He was shortlisted for Lifetime Achievement at the 2019 National Diversity Awards and for several years has featured in The Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 and also The Stage 100.