Winners of the Education Business Awards 2022 revealed

The Education Business Awards returned as a live event on 15 June at the Royal Garden Hotel in London – after two years hosted as a digital event due to the pandemic.
    
The awards, this year sponsored by Churches Fire, have been recognising the outstanding work, commitment and achievements of schools and academies since 2006.
    
Schools have had a difficult time navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic, balancing the need for a Covid-safe environment while still educating pupils and ensuring they catch-up on any lost learning caused by the closures. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we continue to recognise their achievements and to acknowledge the vital role schools play in helping the country to bounce back after the pandemic.
    
Schools were recognised for their excellent work in areas such as ICT innovation, environmental excellence, and outstanding progress.
    
The 2022 Awards were presented by celebrity host Jeff Brazier. Now a weekly presenter on BT Sport Score, an ambassador for People’s Postcode Lottery and a regular presenter on TalkRadio, Jeff is a qualified Life Coach and Grief Counsellour. His first book The Grief Survival Guide was published in 2017.
    
As well as headline sponsor’s Churches Fire, the awards were supported by Strictly Education; City Air Technologies; Alan Patient, ETeach and Fujitsu.

Outstanding progress

St Bartholomew’s School in Berkshire won the Outstanding Progress Award in the secondary school category, which is rated by Ofsted as Outstanding. Leaders have put in place thoughtful learning journeys that help pupils see how their knowledge and skills build over time. Careful content planning allows any learning gaps to be quickly identified, with personal development programmes giving pupils valuable time to debate issues around diversity and equality.
    
The winner of the Outstanding Progress Award in the primary category was St Francis Catholic and Church of England Primary Academy in the Isle of Wight. Since coming under the wing of The Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust, staff and pupils have performed an incredible turnaround at St. Francis. Sharply focused support has helped leaders prioritise and secure improvements in the curriculum.Well-sequenced lesson plans have helped the school jump from Inadequate to Good in its latest Ofsted report last November.
    
In the independent sector, the school that won Outstanding Progress Award was St Edward’s Cheltenham. The school’s reputation and results have been growing since the arrival of new principal Matthew Burke, who has been shortlisted for a TES Headteacher of the Year Award. January this year saw the school become part of the Alpha Schools Group, which has pledged to invest £3m in facilities and will provide new bursaries and scholarships.

Safety and security

LEO Academy Trust, which serves more than 3,500 pupils across six primary schools in Sutton, were proud winners of the School Safety Award. The school ensured that any learning loss during lockdown was limited and that most children returned to school having made good progress at home during the Autumn and Spring Terms. In addition to providing places for its own vulnerable children and those of key workers, The Trust also provided places for local schools unable to set up provision themselves. This included free access to childcare places through the Easter Holidays and May Half Term.
    
St Michael’s Primary School scooped the Excellence in Health & Safety Award for its School Streets initiative, which offers a proactive solution for school communities to tackle air pollution, poor health and road dangers by closing the road by the school during drop off and pick up times.  
    
Audenshaw School in Manchester, meanwhile, won the School Security Award for its recently replaced access control solution, which has provided increased protection of assets and reduced cyber security risks. A central management platform integrates with existing building management software and fire alarms. In the event of an elevated incident, the new system enables the school to lockdown individual zones directly via a mobile application. Single cards are used to access doors and act as ID, which are linked to managed print services, enabling pupils to use the same PIN. Key personnel are able to override the system with their ID card. All hardware is modular and able to adapt in line with future aspirations.

Recruitment and procurement

The School Recruitment Award was presented to Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill in London for its innovative approach to recruitment and professional development. Trained and accompanied by the HR & Staff Wellbeing department, the school has collaborated on an interview grid used to evaluate each candidate which is reviewed each year by the team and by students. This school-wide approach results in a lower turnover rate and fosters trust amongst the students who know their teachers have been evaluated against criteria which they have identified.
    
Demonstrating buying excellence, the Transform Trust scooped the School Procurement Award for its decision to align energy and water services at all of its sites, including Ravensdale Junior School, which has led to significant savings. The new supplier offers bill validation - helping to find any unusual water consumption by identifying leaks and any overuse that should be investigated. This proved beneficial in recouping an overcharge of £14,000 - water from the school’s supply but used by an adjacent building when it suffered an arson attack.

Environmental Practice

Showcasing its commitment to sustainability, Castledon School, an SEN provision for young people with learning difficulties and complex needs, has taken part in a large tree-planting project which aims to plant over 13,000 trees using sustainable methods. Students worked in groups three days a week to leave their legacy for future generations to see. Students have also learned about biodynamic farming -  a holistic, ecological approach to gardening, food, and nutrition, which takes the farm to fork project to the next level.
    
The School Building Award was presented to Addington Valley Academy in London. Part of the Orchard Hill College Academy Trust, the building offers a wide variety of special learning spaces including a science lab, art room, music room, food technology room, hall spaces, library, sensory/calm rooms, soft play, supporting staff spaces and a passenger lift. It has been designed to address the complex needs of the students with all classrooms boasting excellent acoustic performance.
    
Repton School in Derbyshire won the STEM Award, which is central to every aspect of learning at Repton. Its university-standard Science Priory, complete with its own observatory, sits at the heart of the campus. A comprehensive enrichment programme runs from Prep to U6. Science days for primary-aged pupils at the senior school include practical lab lessons and visits to the observatory, while Y8 participate in the CREST awards, a scheme to inspire young people to think like scientists and engineers. Each year Repton sees Y11 pupils gain places on the UK-wide Arkwright Engineering Scholarship.

SEN inclusion and provision

The Hayling College in Hampshire won the SEN Inclusion award for its commitment to meeting the learning needs of pupils, with high quality support from both external professionals and skilled members of the team. Teachers are provided with clear guidance and effective strategies which enable them to help pupils with SEN to learn well. Led by an experienced SENCO who has positively transformed provision, a Speech, Language and Communication Needs Champion and a Disadvantaged Pupil Champion both have specific responsibilities, with flexibility to adapt to pupils needs. An Emotionally Vulnerable unit has also been established to support those who are school phobic.
    
Meanwhile Parker E-ACT Academy was presented with the SEN Provision Award, for its new Social, Emotional, Mental Health provision hub. With a strong reputation for SEND provision, the new facilities include a sensory room, eight small classrooms, a food technology room, ICT suite and general offices. The hub is used as a base for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and other external agencies and allows for a group of up to 20 young people with additional needs, such as anxiety, autism or ADHD, to access a fully inclusive school. It brings an opportunity to provide focussed ‘wrap around’ care for young people in the area.

Community and sport

The 2022 Community Award went to Shaftesbury Park Primary School in London for its inclusive ethos. The school uses the International Primary Curriculum and runs a bilingual stream, with pupils studying in both French and English. The school actively promotes the United Nations Convention Rights of the Child and was recognised recently by UNICEF for its principles of equality, dignity and respect, non-discrimination and participation. Children are encouraged to explore the meaning of the UN charter and empathise with children who do not have access to those rights.
    
The School Sport Award went to Heathfield Junior School in Middlesex for its revamped PE curriculum, which had a complete overhaul during covid. The school  is using cricket to motivate children from disadvantaged areas to improve their lifeskills and chances in revolutionary ‘thrive sessions’, which include resourcefulness, problem solving, evaluation and decision making. In September 2021, Heathfield won the Year 5 boys 5-a-side football tournament at Hampton School - the first state school ever to win it.
    
Hathaway Academy and Grays Athletic FC won the Academy Partnership Award, which helps to improve sports provision across the Academy and local community and provides an opportunity for students to enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Students are able to participate in club events such as mascot and match reporter days and also have the opportunity to represent the club over the weekend in both boys and girls football.

ICT Innovation and facilities
 
Kentmere Academy and Nursery in Rochdale won the ICT Innovation Award for its wide range of technology available and embedded in all curriculum areas. Children are taught based on a Use-Modify-Create pedagogy, where active participation in the classroom is encouraged and detailed lesson plans are provided in advance. Awarded an Online Safety Mark in 2018, children are taught the SMART rules for online safety which are applicable both at home and in school. The children enhance their in-school learning through Animation and Coding clubs. An immersive sensory room features 360-degree projection, sound, lighting, and smells - an innovative use of technology to maximise the learning experience, underlined by receiving the NAACE Mark for Excellence in Education Technology.
    
The ICT Facility Award meanwhile went to Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School in Blackburn for its use of interactive learning which achieves high levels of engagement. Technicians ensure devices are fit for purpose by carrying out an ‘IT MOT’, with pupils given microphones and cameras to aid engagement when taught from home. Recognising that assessment is a continuing priority, the school has developed ‘digital inking’ so that pupils receive timely, detailed feedback on their work to which they can respond.

Winners at a glance:

Outstanding Progress Award (Secondary), sponsored by Churches Fire & Security

St Bartholomew’s School, Berkshire

Outstanding Progress Award (Primary)

St Francis Catholic and Church of England Primary Academy, Isle of Wight

Outstanding Progress Award (Independent), sponsored by Alan Patient & Co.

St Edward’s Cheltenham

School Safety Award, sponsored by City Air Technologies

Leo Academy Trust, London
 
ICT Facility Award, sponsored by Fujitsu

Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School, Blackburn

Academy Partnership Award, sponsored by Strictly Education

Hathaway Academy / Grays Athletic FC

School Recruitment Award, sponsored by ETeach

Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill, London

School Procurement Award, sponsored by Alan Patient & Co.

Ravensdale Junior School / Transform MAT

Excellence in Health & Safety Award, sponsored by Churches Fire & Security

St Michael's Primary School - School Streets initiative

Environmental Practice Award

Castledon School, Essex

School Building Award

Addington Valley Academy, London

STEM Award

Repton School, Derbyshire

SEN Inclusion Award

The Hayling College, Hampshire

SEN Provision Award

Parker E-ACT Academy

Community Award

Shaftesbury Park Primary School, London

School Sports Award

Heathfield Junior School, Middlesex

School Security Award

Audenshaw School, Manchester

ICT Innovation Award

Kentmere Academy and Nursery, Rochdale