Congratulations to all our 2025 winners

Professor Barnaby Lenon CBE

Barnaby Lenon has had a broad and deep impact during a career spanning more than five decades. As a head, he was incredibly successful in his leadership of Harrow and Trinity schools, particularly in lifting standards of pastoral care while maintaining high academic standards. He was one of the early champions of developing meaningful partnerships with state schools, lifting educational opportunity for all in his local area.

Barnaby was the founding chair of governors for the state-funded London Academy of Excellence in Stratford, which provides life-changing education for children in an deprived area, helping to guide it to an Ofsted “outstanding” grade in all areas in 2017. 

Over the past seven years, Barnaby has been dean of education at the University of Buckingham, leading the way in teacher apprenticeships; this year alone, he is training a third of all teacher trainee apprentices – 420 new teachers will go on to work in state and independent schools as a result.

Whether feeding into national curriculum reform, fearlessly speaking truth to power in Westminster, or as a respected media commentator, Barnaby has given freely of his time as a teacher, teacher trainer, leader, author and governor, changing so many lives for the better. Since leaving headship, Barnaby has been the chairman of the Independent Schools Council, a title he has held since 2011. As he steps down this year after distinguished service, he deserves to be feted for his enormous contributions to learning and teaching.

Abingdon House School

Learning technology is far from a mere add-on at Abingdon House School, an independent special school in London catering for neurodiverse students. Technology is used to enhance all areas at Abingdon House and forms one of the pillars of the school’s education philosophy, tailoring the digital experience to unlock the full potential of pupils.

A prime example of the pivotal role technology plays at Abingdon are ‘technology diets’. The school samples each student’s handwriting, typing and voice-typing to create technology diets bespoke to each child. The diets are regularly reviewed so that they continue to meet each student’s evolving needs.

There’s a strong focus on accessibility and assistive technology, especially for students with ASD and SPLD. Each student has their own Chromebook and there’s continuous professional development for staff, including in-house expert support from a Google trainer.

Every lesson resource and piece of work is designed with accessibility in mind. Dyslexia-friendly fonts, clear layouts, and consistent use of Google Classroom ensure that every student can access their learning, regardless of their individual challenges. 

The effectiveness of Abingdon House School’s approach can be seen in student progress and attainment. There was a 100% GCSE pass rate in 2023 which the school puts down to carefully integrated technology coupled with expert guidance. 

“The care taken to roll out technology with each individual pupil in mind so that it makes learning accessible is clear,” said judge John Roberts.

Pioneer House High School

A community café in the grounds of Pioneer House High School in Greater Manchester is helping SEND students build their skills and confidence – and transform their employment prospects.

The 11-19 special school in Wythenshawe opened the Strawberry Fox Café in 2023, named by pupils after a fox that snaffled the fruit during regular night time visits to the school horticulture garden.

The café is now the beating heart of the community and is helping students improve their employability, communication skills and independence through hands-on work experience in a real-life setting.

The school has a clear vision of an education system where SEND students are fully included in society, empowered with the skills, confidence and opportunities to lead independent and fulfilling lives, with education providing a gateway to employment, social integration and personal growth.

As well as helping pupils learn beyond the classroom the initiative has also persuaded local business to reassess the value of SEND employees. As a result of working with Businesses Working in Wythenshawe, Equans and local SEND schools, the school has seen a marked increase in job and work experience opportunities for pupils, with many students going on to permanent employment or volunteering roles after gaining skills and confidence dealing with customers.

Judge Mei Lim said: “Providing meaningful, enriching post-school employment and training opportunities for young people with SEND, in and around their local community, is absolutely critical. This initiative is doing just that.”

Carr Mill Primary School

The community served by Carr Mill Primary School in Merseyside faced a raft of challenges, including poor attitudes towards education, low aspirations, troubling mental health statistics and a lack of trust from families. The result was poor outcomes for all.

The school was determined to tackle the situation with a mental health offer that would, if successful, transform outcomes for current and future generations of children. Four years on and Carr Mill can confidently claim to have a success on its hands. The school restructured the staff team, appointing a second deputy headteacher, pastoral manager, family support worker and learning mentor to focus on the mission.

They flooded their community with positive school news via social media, and adopted a ‘culture of botheredness’, making extra efforts to forge closer relationships with families and convince them that they had their children’s best interests at heart. The school also adopted the Barnado’s PATHS programme to teach children from nursery to Year 6 pro-social skills, emotional understanding, social problem-solving and self-control. 

Pupil mentoring also has an important role. Children needing a self-confidence boost have been appointed ‘Bistro Leaders’. These pupils support younger children during breakfast sessions, taking and serving orders and leading games and activities. The strategy has led to a 75% reduction in pupils referred to Tier 3 mental health services and more pupils are receiving early preventative mental health interventions. Attendance is up and persistent absence dramatically down. And there are fewer suspensions and significant behavioural incidents.

Carr Mill’s work has attracted plaudits but perhaps the greatest praise comes from grateful families. “No other school provides support like you do,” one parent told them. “You gave me support, even when I wasn’t ready to receive it.”

Selly Park Girls School

Selly Park Girls School in Birmingham has made staff wellbeing a priority by creating a multi-faceted strategy focussed not just on intervention but on preventing stress and burnout before they arise.

Workload management, including streamlined marking policies and assessment adjustments, flexible work from home days and staggered parents’ evenings, has played a major part in their wellbeing strategy. A staffroom revamp and a programme of social events and initiatives, as well as dedicated CPD time, a gym, health bus visits, free instrument lessons and a mindfulness room have also helped to boost staff morale.

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers confidential counselling, while mentoring and buddy systems help staff feel supported. An open-door policy encourages open conversations so that any concerns can be addressed early. It’s a highly effective strategy: in the last four anonymous wellbeing surveys, more than 95% of staff said their workload was manageable, while 100% saw wellbeing as a school priority.

Staff turnover is exceptionally low; many have worked at the school for more than 20 years. Staff absence has reduced for the last three years and is now the lowest in the Birmingham south network of schools. Headteacher Lisa Darwood led the move away from an ingrained culture of overwork and presenteeism by encouraging staff to take breaks, use flexible work options, and establish healthy boundaries.

Judge Sinéad McBrearty said: “Selly Park Girls is achieving extremely positive staff wellbeing feedback through a smart strategy that addresses the big drivers of staff wellbeing. It achieves this without flashy, high spend initiatives, creating a role model for cash-strapped schools everywhere.”

Cragside Primary School

Cragside Primary School in Newcastle is all about removing barriers to participation, making creativity and the arts accessible to every child.  Cragside’s music lead has developed a dynamic curriculum featuring a timetable of peripatetic music teachers which gives children the opportunity to receive small-group lessons in drums, guitar, violin, viola, trumpet, the horn, keyboards, and piano, among others.

Creativity and the arts is woven into the curriculum. Year 1 pupils have collaborated with architecture students from Newcastle University to explore the science of materials, while Year 2 pupils were taught by a choral director from Newcastle Cathedral, and Year 6 pupils used video production to capture their learning about the circulatory system.

Every Year 2 pupil has had the chance to work with musicians from Newcastle Cathedral, while all Year 3 pupils have learned to play the ocarina. And every child experiences live theatre at least once a year, with Year 6 pupils joining other local pupils on the stage to perform Shakespeare at an annual festival.

Cragside’s commitment to the creative arts enhances, rather than detracts from, academic success – the school’s summer 2024 Key Stage 2 SATs were significantly above the national average in Maths, Reading, Writing, and SPAG.

Education consultant Rachel Higginson was “incredibly moved” when she visited Cragside, writing: “What struck me the most is that this is a curriculum of liberation. The barriers to learning and access don’t exist…”

Jackie Lunt – King’s Academy Lord Wilson

After more than a quarter of a century as a teaching assistant Jackie Lunt has become a beacon of hope on the Hampshire coast. Jackie works at King’s Academy Lord Wilson in Southampton, which serves boys with social, emotional, and mental health needs. During her career she has built up a mass of experience across primary, secondary and special phases – and an unwavering commitment to serving vulnerable pupils and families across the coastal community.

Jackie is a key staff member at the school, supporting pupils with their emotional regulation and academic engagement. As part of the school’s community team, she delivers tuition to the hardest-to-reach pupils, contributing to record GCSE outcomes. Her commitment to her role is total. She’s been known to drive disadvantaged pupils into school and given them in-home tuition when they couldn’t attend and accompanied families to crucial health and housing appointments outside of school as a supporter and advocate.

Jackie’s years in the role has fostered a deep trust with generations of families – often working with parents she previously supported as students. Head of School Emily Weaver has worked with Jackie for almost 15 years. “Her presence is a beacon of hope, not just within the school, but
throughout the community,” she says. “Her belief that every child deserves a
chance, no matter their challenges, is what truly sets her apart.”

Mia Bano – Arden Primary School

The potential of arts education to transform young lives is in full evidence at Arden Primary School in Birmingham, thanks to Arts Lead Mia Bano. Mia has played a crucial curriculum leadership role at the Sparkhill school which means that from the moment children join the early years foundation stage age 3 they experience a vibrant expressive arts curriculum.

The arts really do change lives at Arden. EYFS baseline data shows that children arrive at the school with very low levels of literacy, especially in speaking and listening. The Soundtots programme, run in partnership with Local Music Education Hub, has helped Arden successfully address these disadvantages, with 89% of children now achieving their early learning goal in communication and language.

The school has been awarded the Artsmark Platinum status for its revolutionary approach to equipping its children to become lifelong learners, global citizens and change-makers of the world. 

Arden children have access to a rich arts education that offers everything from drawing, painting and sculpture to printing, digital art, textiles and collage. Every child has the chance to work with a local artist to increase their engagement with the arts. The subject is so popular that art and design is on offer at half-term holiday clubs for pupil premium pupils. 

Judge Steve Lancashire described Mia Bano’s work as “curriculum leadership at a national level - visionary, unapologetically values-driven, and profoundly impactful.”

William McWhirter – Kingsdale Foundation School

Sporting excellence at an international, national and regional level and a breathtaking choice of exciting extracurricular sports - all fully funded. It’s not surprising that Ofsted inspectors were impressed with Kingsdale Foundation School’s sport, health and recreation provision following a 2023 ‘deep dive’.

For subject lead William McWhirter and his team of young, newly-qualified teachers the real measure of success is competitions and events won – and every pupil achieving their full potential. Last year was the London school’s best in terms of sporting success, with U14 and U15 boys football teams crowned national champions and U14 girls reaching the semi-finals. Several students competed at elite levels in cricket, judo, football, gymnastics and athletics.  

The sheer choice of sporting activity on offer at Kingsdale is equally impressive and rare in the state sector. The department runs more than 45 extra-curricular sport clubs, with activities including team sports, archery, horse riding and track cycling. 

The department’s reputation means that GCSE PE has never been more popular – 110 students sat GCSE PE this year – but there are still challenges. A key one is fostering a thriving sporting community amidst a national decline in girls’ participation from Year 9. The team is tackling this by prioritising equality of opportunity, especially for underrepresented groups such as ethnic minorities and girls. Their efforts are driving high levels of participation across the school.

William says the department’s vision is to engage every student in meaningful exercise, develop their personal performance and understanding of
the subject in a way that is inspirational whilst catering for the needs of our whole school community. It’s abundantly clear that all of this and more is being achieved at Kingsdale.

Louise Curran – Rowan Tree Primary School

The Duke of Edinburgh Award inspired Rowan Tree Primary School headteacher Louise Curran to create a scheme that would give her pupils a similar mix of exciting and enriching challenges. The Branching Out Award gives pupils at the Atherton, Greater Manchester special school the opportunity to learn new skills such as cooking, performance or animal care.

The scheme is underpinned by the school motto, ‘Learning from everything we do by making every moment matter' and is designed to develop the children’s confidence, engagement, personal care and independence. These skills are directly linked to meeting long term outcomes set out in the pupils’ EHCPs. Pupils’ long-term outcomes are reviewed and analysed every six weeks by the Branching Out team and senior leaders. When pupils leave Rowan Tree at the end of Year 6 there’s a big presentation event to celebrate the children’s progress. 

The award is now expanding to include other schools – Rowan Tree is offering to support local mainstream schools on running the award with their own children. Nominator Claire Roche says: “The work and care that Louise has put into the award and ensuring it is designed to stretch and challenge pupils while also being enjoyable and achievable has been phenomenal and a real labour of love.”

“The Branching out scheme is just one way in which Louise has been a pioneering leader with excellent vision.”

Louise Edgerton – Hyndland Secondary School

Hyndland Secondary School in Glasgow has been on a journey of success over the last seven years. Much of that success must be down to the culture of high ambition and aspiration kickstarted by the appointment of headteacher Louise Edgerton. A third of Hyndland’s students live in deprivation and more than a quarter speak English as an additional language. 40% have additional needs.

Louise joined Hyndland as deputy in 2008 and became headteacher in 2018. Since then, the school has become the highest attaining state school in Glasgow, closing the attainment gap between the most and least deprived students.

Student performance at SCQF level 5 and level 6 is consistently significantly higher or much higher when compared to a benchmark sample group of similar students over the last five years. Louise’s highly effective leadership was cited as a key driver of the school’s improvement in the school’s most recent ‘excellent’ HMIE report. 

Louise is no distant figurehead. She still teaches regularly, runs the school choir and makes a point of knowing every pupil by name and what makes them ‘tick’. She greets students at the door each morning and if they appear ‘a bit off’ an intervention will often be in place even before the student is aware they need support.

Louise has made the rights and wellbeing of students a priority at Hyndland; it was the first secondary in Glasgow to achieve gold status in Unicef’s Rights Respecting award and 2021 and was successfully re-accredited with Gold earlier this year.

Sue Woodroofe – The Grammar School at Leeds

“I have never met anybody quite so child-focused,” says Angus Martin, chair of governors at The Grammar School at Leeds. 

“Every conversation starts with ‘Is this going to improve children’s lives?’ If not, then why are we talking about it? And if yes, why are we waiting?” That anecdote sums up headteacher Sue Woodroofe. Since 2016 she has driven up standards, increased school income, reduced debt and invested more than £25 million in capital projects delivering direct student benefit.

Those impressive achievements in a highly challenging environment have been delivered while Sue and her team continue to build GSAL’s status as a centre of equity, care and all-round excellence. GSAL was named the Sunday Times’ North Independent School of the Year last year, rising 53 places in their independent school rankings. It was the third Sunday Times’ accolade for GSAL during Sue’s tenure.

Sue has taken progressive steps to improve teaching and learning, including internationalising the curriculum for GSAL’s diverse student body and introducing an equitable, stereotype-defying sports curriculum. GSAL has maintained outstanding results in a challenging post-COVID context. Last year 51% of A-levels were awarded A/A* grades, and 71% of GCSE entries were awarded 7, 8 or 9 (A/A*).

An influential national figure, Sue became only the fourth female chair of The Heads’ Conference (HMC) in 150 years in 2023. HMC general Secretary Dr Simon Hyde says she has been “instrumental” in directing a culture shift at HMC.

Throughout her 37-year career Sue has remained true to a central tenet: “Everyone needs opportunities in order to flourish,” she says. “My job is to make sure every child can find their place to shine.”
 

The White Horse Federation

Introducing an Inclusion Team and a SEND Framework has had a significant and positive impact on both students and schools at Swindon-based The White Horse Federation (TWHF). The Inclusion Team has ensured that children with special needs receive tailored support, fostering an inclusive environment where they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. 

The introduction of the TWHF SEND Framework also benefits teachers, offering clear guidelines for managing SEND within schools and supporting students and their development. This reduces stress for educators and makes their teaching more effective. By identifying individual needs early, and using the TWHF SEND framework, schools can create personalised learning and pupil profiles, helping students achieve their full potential.

TWHF say that one of the primary benefits of having an internal inclusion team is improving access to specialist support, staff training, and adaptive strategies that cater to students’ diverse learning needs. The team also promotes equity and fairness, giving all students equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their abilities. This reduces the risk of exclusion or marginalisation of children with special needs, leading to better overall student outcomes and higher levels of wellbeing.

Overall, a well-implemented Inclusion Team and SEND framework has fostered a culture of inclusion, understanding, and support in schools, ultimately contributing to a more equitable educational landscape.

Judge Annamarie Hassall said: “The TWHF SEND framework has fostered a culture of inclusion, understanding, and support, establishing a framework for all schools to achieve a more equitable educational landscape.

The Harris Federation

Outperforming national averages on every attainment measure while serving some of the country’s most economically disadvantaged communities demonstrates the power of the Harris Federation approach.

A remarkable 73% of Harris academies are rated outstanding by Ofsted, far
surpassing the national average of 15%. Almost a quarter of Harris students went to Russell Group institutions in 2024 – double the national average. That included an impressive 16% of disadvantaged students, far exceeding the national average. 

These statistics are even more remarkable when you consider that two-thirds of the academies joining Harris did so while in special measures. This remarkable achievement is the result of expert leadership, a deeply ingrained culture of excellence, and a refusal to accept mediocrity.

The Harris Federation is also playing an important role in shaping education on the national stage. The federation is a founding partner of the National Institute of Teaching and its three teaching school hubs train more than 1,250 ECTs annually and support more than 600 schools.

Harris Federation has had a transformational impact on thousands of young lives, including Harris Greenwich alumnus Mohammed who arrived in England as a teenage refugee with limited English. He went to Oxford and now teaches at Harvard. “I wasn’t just supported by teachers,” he said. “I had access to expertise, resources, and connections across the Federation, giving me confidence to aim higher than I imagined.”

Canonium Learning Trust

Canonium Learning Trust in Essex stands out for its commitment to high educational standards, inclusivity, and the sustainability of small, rural schools. Falling rolls in some of its 11 schools has been a major issue for the trust but it has grasped the challenge by working together in a spirit of purposeful collaboration.

While many schools use falling roll funding to simply sustain existing operations, the trust took the bold decision to invest in redeveloping learning environments. This strategy has significantly boosted admissions, with two vulnerable schools reaching full capacity.

Working together, Canonium’s schools have outlined a set of standards designed to encourage leaders to think deeply about how they can further improve provision while retaining the individual ethos of each school. As a result, all schools have achieved a good or better Ofsted judgement, with pupil outcomes in line or above national averages. 

The trust has embraced innovative solutions such as redeveloping learning environments to attract more pupils, strengthening nursery provisions, and enhancing SEND support. The trust’s Pink Tower approach – an evidence-based strategy designed to support vulnerable pupils – has reduced exclusions and persistent absences. 

Canonium has also worked hard to retain staff and improve their morale, with a ‘Ninja Turtle’ philosophy which encourages staff to take proactive steps in self-care and suggest improvements to working practices, with the trust promising in return to listen and put in place systems and processes that allow staff to flourish.

Edgeborough School

At Edgeborough School, an independent prep school in Surrey, the youngest learners bounce and skip into school, excited about the day ahead. The same could almost be said for Edgeborough’s early years team, who show obvious relish in their work.

Shortlisted for this award in 2024, the Edgeborough team has over the last year stepped up the development of their already impressive provision with a range of new initiatives. Following a lengthy period of training, discussion and research, the team committed to the self-regulation approach, underpinned with the latest neuroscience.

All behaviour is respected as communication, responses to anxiety are informed by science and dysregulated behaviour is met with empathy, co-regulation and calmness, with the emotion validated and the behaviour met with kindness and support.

The children feel understood and supported and are developing the means to express their 'big emotions' in positive ways. They use aids such as breathing stars, audio books, weighted blankets and sensory circuits as a form of release and calm. Most importantly, they turn to staff to help them regulate and to seek comfort. Emotional regulation has been so effective at Edgeborough that the setting is now approached by other schools for guidance. 

“The holistic understanding of child development, neuroscience and social and emotional wellbeing are exemplary,” commented Judge Eunice Lumsden.

Ninestiles, an Academy

When Ninestiles leaders point out that SEND learners are front and centre of everything it does, you don’t have to look that far to realise that this isn’t mere sloganeering.

SEND learners, including those with EHCPs, have attendance well above national averages and achieve impressive academic outcomes; EHCP learners in the Birmingham secondary’s specialist resource base provision returned a progress 8 score of +0.25, for example. Persistent absence rates amongst EHCP learners is under 30%, compared to over 40% nationally.

Ninestiles SEND learners are fully included in all activities and have full access to the best of the curriculum, with a sharply increasing number of SEND learners accessing the academy’s EBacc route.

That genuine inclusivity extends to student leadership – a member of the resource base cohort has been appointed deputy head boy this year. This inspiring picture stems from a decision four years ago to create a more academically rigorous curriculum for its resource base learners and provide the inclusion team with significant training and development.

Inspectors have praised the Ninestiles approach, commenting that SEND learners "grow in confidence and achieve well alongside their peers".

Judge Margaret Mulholland said: "SEND learners at Ninestiles are appreciated for what they bring to the academy in all forms rather than the deficit model.”

Three Towers Alternative Provision

Pupils attending Three Towers Alternative Provision (AP) Academy in Wigan face many challenges in life, but they benefit from having a dedicated team firmly on their side. Most pupils can’t access mainstream provision due to social, emotional and mental health concerns. Many come from the top 10% most deprived areas in England, and all are considered to have special educational needs. 

The Three Towers ethos is all about expanding horizons for learners by removing barriers to participation and achievement. Each head of house in the school’s pastoral team carries out a personalised induction, meeting each learner and parent. The school understands the apprehension and mistrust many parents have and the impact this can have on student success, and this ‘getting to know you’ approach provides a firm basis for developing good relationships. 

Pupils receive a personalised high-quality curriculum, adapted to meet their individual needs. Secondary subject specialists have been brought in to teach science, art, drama, PE and music and a new phonics programme has been created specifically for the needs of Three Towers pupils. 

Pupil wellbeing is especially important. Several staff members have been trained to deliver the Thrive Approach programme to help pupils manage their emotions in a healthy way. There are regular therapeutic sessions with trained staff, including drawing and talking and Lego therapy, and a weekly Wellbeing Wednesday event gives pupils and staff further opportunities to build relationships. 

It’s an inspiring approach which caught the attention of Ofsted inspectors. Declaring the school outstanding, they noted: “Believing in pupils is the watchword of leaders and staff. As a result, pupils who have behavioural, social, emotional, mental health and medical needs thrive.”

Bredon School

Bredon School in Gloucestershire accommodates a vast range of students from different backgrounds, including EHCP students, military children, and private fee payers, each with unique needs requiring tailored support.

The school has worked tirelessly to ensure that each student feels supported and integrated. Unlike traditional boarding schools, it has purely pastoral staff in its boarding houses. This approach allows students to know that classroom concerns will not follow them and helps boarding staff to focus on the pastoral needs and welfare of the children.

There’s a rich evening activity programme, with regular shopping trips, excursions, and weekends packed with activities, ensuring pupils are engaged, supported, and develop life skills beyond the classroom. 

The school also holds non-electronic Mondays to give pupils a much-needed break from social media and online pressures. Bredon’s flat-rate fees ensure that every child, regardless of financial background, can fully participate in all activities without hidden costs.

Bredon’s educators are specialists in their fields and are dedicated to understanding and supporting neurodivergent learning needs. The team delivers a carefully structured academic pathway system which offers students the pick of academic, creative or vocational subject sets. Each pathway supports the core GCSEs of English, Maths and Science but can be blended with other GCSE, City & Guilds and BTEC qualifications. The Bredon approach is certainly effective – the school was in the top 1% for value added to students from the end of Key Stage 4 to the end of A Levels.

Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery

AI-enhanced learning and assessment, robotics on the curriculum…these are just two of many reasons why the Good Schools Guide described Rosemead Prep as “the one to watch” in South London. Rosemead sets itself apart by using AI tools to provide a bespoke educational experience tailored to every pupil. That’s coupled with an innovative ‘Creative Rotation’ curriculum which includes robotics, esports, and AI-integrated learning.

In a recent inspection under the new framework the ISI said the school’s customised academic approach was a significant strength. This innovation is propelling pupils to academic success. Rosemead’s youngsters make exceptional progress, with over 140 future school offers in Year 6 and strong results in 11+ examinations for leading senior schools. 

Rosemead’s pastoral care ensures that students thrive emotionally as well as academically, with mentoring programmes, wellbeing lessons, and therapeutic support from Hendriks, the school therapy dog. The school has been recognised for its commitment to inclusivity, winning the EDIB Award for its ‘We Are Rosemead’ initiative, which celebrates diversity through weekly assemblies.

Rosemead excels on the field of play, too; students have won national athletic titles, while netball and football teams have made it to national finals.

One of the biggest challenges faced by Rosemead was continuing its high academic outcomes while integrating cutting-edge technology and AI into the curriculum and adapting traditional teaching methods. This was overcome by prioritising staff training and investment in digital pedagogy, ensuring all teachers were confident in using AI tools.

East Wichel Primary School & Nursery

East Wichel Primary School and Nursery in Swindon is a place of warmth, belonging and joy with a mission to ensure children thrive not just academically but as kind, confident, resilient individuals ready to change the world. Ofsted has picked up on the East Wichel vibe, giving the school an outstanding rating, with the lead inspector telling the leadership team: "You are building better humans who really want to make a difference.”

The school fosters a holistic approach to education in which mental and physical fitness are as important as academic success. Children learn not only reading, writing, and maths but also kindness, self-care, and how to contribute positively to the world.

‘Tiger teaching’ ensures every child receives direct, explicit instruction, building confidence, resilience, and essential skills for success. 

East Wichel welcomes families from around the world who join midway through their school journey or stay only briefly. This high pupil mobility is a challenge, but staff strive to provide the children with a warm welcome and a strong sense of belonging while maintaining absolute consistency in teaching, routines, and support.

Staff are similarly nurtured and empowered to make a difference. Instead of formal lesson observations, open-door collaboration encourages staff to share ideas, seek support and learn from one another. The school’s leaders act as CROs (Chief Reminding Officers), setting the direction, with staff empowered to generate ideas, innovate and determine the ‘how.’ 

Judge Alison Peacock described East Wichel as “a living combination of high energy ‘can-do’ for all with a broad curriculum and real community feel.”

Royal Grammar School Newcastle

The Royal Grammar School Newcastle’s unwavering commitment to educational access and social responsibility across the Northeast proves that a school can ‘do well and do good’.

Students excel academically – GCSE results place RGS in the top 1% of schools nationally for 'value added and A-Level results in the top 10%, with SEND students in the top 1% nationally for value added at both GCSE and A-Level.

The school, which is celebrating its quincentenary this year, is ever mindful of its geographic proximity to areas of severe deprivation – a third of children in the Northeast grow up in poverty – so it is determined to ensure that it remains accessible to talented students from all backgrounds.

This has led the school to significantly expand its bursary programme. Today, one in 15 students at RGS benefit from a fully funded bursary. By the end of RGS’s quincentenary year, the school will have supported more than 500 bursary students since the scheme began in 2002. 

RGS’s impact doesn’t stop at the school gates. The school created RGS Partnerships as a sustainable educational investment model, attracting support from local and national businesses, philanthropists, and foundations. These resources fund teaching which has benefited more than 10,000 students and 500 teachers in 105 state schools across the region.

Judge Durrell Barnes said: “RGS Newcastle is amongst the most successful schools academically in terms of value added. It is also a school with a clear focus on particular values and an absolute commitment to diversity and giving back to the community.”

Oasis Academy South Bank

“Calm, focused and filled with love” was one visitor’s assessment of this outstanding secondary school in the heart of Lambeth in central London. Oasis Academy South Bank, which serves a highly disadvantaged community with high crime rates and poverty, certainly earns that praise. Opened in 2013, the school is led by Principal Anna Richardson and gives pupils a warm, inclusive and supportive learning community that sets them up for life.

Pupil outcomes are impressive – Progress 8 scores for last year showed every pupil making significantly more progress than expected for their prior attainment. Almost two-thirds achieved a grade 5 and above in English and Maths – significantly above the national average. Most sixth formers go on to Russell Group universities or degree apprenticeships. Successful Oxbridge applications are in line with independent schools despite two-thirds of pupils attracting Pupil Premium funding. 

The school believes in being both warm and strict. An extensive pastoral support system is coupled with consistently followed behaviour management which ensures all pupils are treated fairly and set up for success in the outside world. Attendance is the second highest in the borough, despite the challenging circumstances of many pupils.

Staff retention levels are high, which is partly down to a highly effective coaching culture and many professional development opportunities. Staff support colleagues across the trust through their roles as National Lead Practitioners, spreading best practice in pedagogy and other priorities such as behaviour and attendance.