Dame Christine Ryan to co-chair judging panel for Global Schools Prize

Dame Christine Ryan, former Chair of the Ofsted Board, has been named co-chair of the judging panel for the inaugural Global Schools Prize – a new $1 million award launched by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO to honour the world’s most innovative and impactful schools.

Applications are now open for the prize, which aims to spotlight institutions reimagining education and driving transformative change. The initiative completes a trilogy of prestigious global education awards founded by philanthropist Sunny Varkey, alongside the Global Teacher Prize and Global Student Prize.

The Global Schools Prize will recognise schools making a significant impact in areas such as AI transformation, sustainability, teacher development, and inclusive education. Ten category winners will each receive $50,000, with one overall winner awarded $500,000 to scale its work. All longlisted schools will receive a Global Schools Prize Badge and access to the Global Schools Network, a platform for global collaboration and professional development.

The prize will be guided by the Global Schools Prize Council, co-chaired by Dame Christine Ryan and Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director General for Education. The council includes prominent voices from global education, technology, and philanthropy, such as Andreas Schleicher (OECD), Peter Tabichi (2019 Global Teacher Prize winner), and Dina Ghobashy (Microsoft).

Dame Christine Ryan, former Chair of the Ofsted Board, said: “Schools are at the very heart of communities, shaping not only the future of individual learners but the future of societies. The Global Schools Prize shines a spotlight on institutions that are leading with courage, creativity, and purpose – schools that refuse to stand still in the face of change. This prize is about celebrating their impact and encouraging global collaboration so that innovation in one school can inspire progress in thousands more.”

Sunny Varkey said the prize is “more than an award – it’s a movement to reimagine learning in a world of constant change.”