ISA Awards 2024
They offer an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your school’s high quality provision, and to celebrate your success with staff and fellow ISA Members. The Awards also allow you to promote your achievements both to existing and prospective parents, and the wider community, by providing schools with national publicity and the chance to proudly promote this via their own marketing platforms.
Winners announced!
Congratulations to our Winning schools:
ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Early Years
Little Downsend School
Judge’s comments:
“Little Downsend School wins this award because of the clear and creative way in which it fulfils its Future Skills vision for all children. This is achieved by developing a child’s underpinning physical development, then providing the motivation to write purposefully and finally completing the process through nurturing children’s vocabulary and language structure. Along the way the school uses an imaginative array of strategies – Write Dance Program, Message Centres, Every Child a Talker and Talk to Writing amongst others. The school’s excellent outcomes provide ample evidence for the success of their approach.”
ISA Junior School of the Year Award
Fulham Pre-Prep
Judge’s comments:
“With the introduction of Philosophy to KS1, Fulham Pre Prep are enabling creative and open thinking in their young pupils, offering the opportunity to think both independently and collaboratively. Teachers facilitate discussion, encouraging pupils to have courage in thought and expression. This has helped pupils to develop confidence which they articulate across the curriculum... in the words of a wise 7-year-old, 'Sometimes the life you have is better than the life you think you want.”
ISA Senior School of the Year Award
The Faculty at Queen Ethelburga's
Judge’s comments:
“Queen Ethelburga’s wins this award because its application shows the clear cause and effect between a range of innovatory strategies and the intended outcomes in two areas of the Faculty’s work. The flexibility of a twin A level and BTEC qualification offer, the provision of structured opportunities for developing excellence in sport and dramatic arts, and the innovatory Esports BTEC provide excellent opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds and prior educational challenges to excel. The use of several student profiles to showcase the effectiveness of QE’s approach was highly effective.”
ISA SEND School of the Year Award
The Holmewood School
Judge’s comments:
“This school now provides near perfect provision for its neurodiverse population so that not only do they achieve academic standards comparable with mainstream peers, but their methodology covers whole life needs, so social and emotional needs are explored and provided for as well as academic ones. They write “Our mission is to understand each student’s unique profile and interests, constructing personalised learning pathways that engage and motivate them.”. Their new “Work and Life Experience Programme” offers a wide variety of simple opportunities, which are altered frequently, and their mostly autistic students are helped through it to understand and respond to change, which many on the spectrum find difficult. They continually adapt and refine their curriculum and teaching methods to support their students’ changing needs. There is rigorous monitoring of progress, and they also work hard to develop and support their staff. Their case studies were exciting to read, and they boldly describe their school as “a life changing experience” which I suspect that it really is!”
ISA Boarding School of the Year Award
Cardiff Sixth Form College
Judge’s comments:
“Cardiff sixth Form offers opportunities to day students and boarders alike. From participation in early and late activities to full access of weekend provision all students are able to fully embrace the boarding culture. Being offered 3 meals a day expand the possibilities for those who have a distance to travel each day. Their teaching and learning strategy aims to fuse the creative pedagogy and rich questioning of Western cultures with the intellectual discipline of Eastern education systems. Students are taught PPE alongside the traditional PSHE topics in order to enrich cultural literacy, thus broadening their horizons and preparing them for the rigour of university, with 80% gaining places at universities in the Top 100 world rankings.”
ISA Award for Outstanding Sport (Small School)
Maple Walk School
Judge’s comments:
“Maple Walk's creative use of facilities in the local community is exemplified in its sports programme. Alongside considerable success in traditional activites Maple Walk has developed a programme of inclusivity with mixed gender teams and the introduction of sports such as seated volleyball, goalball and Boccia. As a result of this, these inclusive sports are now played across the borough at inter-school events, showing that a little ingenuity, a lot of hard work and an ethos of innovation and inclusivity truly provides 'Sport for All'.”
ISA Award for Outstanding Sport (Large School)
Gosfield School
Judge’s comments:
“Judging this category was challenging due to the high quality of the entries. It was inspiring to see the variety of sports available and the emphasis on inclusivity, making sure that everyone has the chance to participate. Gosfield School stood out as the overall winner, demonstrating a strong commitment to providing every child with the opportunity to engage in sports, regardless of their ability or experience.”
ISA Award for Excellence in Performing Arts
ArtsEd
Judge’s comments:
“The breadth and extent of performing arts provision across the ISA schools that entered was staggering. The quality level was high across all submissions, but the standout entry was ArtsEd for its unique curriculum. Recognised by ISI for inspirational teaching and outstanding results, it nurtures students' individual talents while fostering inclusivity. With numerous productions, high exam success rates, and a track record of preparing students for top conservatoires or universities, ArtsEd exemplifies excellence in performing arts education.”
ISA Award for Excellence in Fine Arts and Design
Faraday School
“Faraday Prep is a school with creativity at its core, where the teaching of art and design is innovative, interdisciplinary and experiential. Using the city of London as an extension of its classrooms the school encourages pupils to learn about the world through an artistic lens, fusing the teaching of art with other subjects, creating a window into different cultures and perspectives. Faraday Prep School offers incredible opportunities for children to work with professional artists and have their work exhibited, and pupils take part in a range of innovative projects, with many securing art scholarships. Teaching is imaginative and innovative, and the school's art and design offering is outstanding.”
ISA Award for Outstanding Engagement in the Community
Quinton House School
Judge’s comments:
“Very impressive, passion-driven project to tackle knife crime and county lines in Northampton. Pupils at Quinton House reached out to all local schools, the University and Police to organise a series of awareness raising events that aim to help the local community regain control of local streets. This project shows the power every independent school can have to make a difference in their local community.”
ISA Award for Future Readiness
Leighton Park School
Judge’s comments:
“Leighton Park School is wholly committed to preparing its pupils to be future changemakers, through innovative educational approaches that extend beyond the traditional. The school's unique curriculum and STEAM programme help pupils develop a wide range of future ready skills to play an active role in tackling global challenges. Leighton Park takes a broad and holistic approach to future readiness, which goes beyond embracing technology alone. By nurturing self-awareness and community engagement, Leighton Park gives its students the skills to make a meaningful difference, while delivering impact for the local community and the wider world beyond.”
ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Rosemead Preparatory School
Judge’s comments:
“The quality of submissions from all schools shows how far we have come within the last few years when considering EDI, with it now embedded in the fabric of the institutions and fostering a deep sense of belonging within the schools and in wider society. The curriculum development at Rosemead stood out, with the work on Windrush: A Portrait of a Generation, where work from Nursery to Year 6 was impressive, including the collaborative artwork inspired by the Royal Collection portraits.”
ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Mental Health and Wellbeing
Slindon College
Judge’s comments:
“Mental Health and Wellbeing is at the core of the school’s ethos. Slindon College have innovated with a new way of encouraging pupils to self-regulate and also self-calibrate their Learning Energy. This is an exciting scheme which deserves to enter the mainstream. Slindon College is at the forefront of excellence and innovation in promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing and is a sector leader.”
ISA Award for Excellence in Sustainability
Liberty Woodland School
Judge’s comments:
“Liberty Woodland School's commitment to sustainability is truly outstanding. The school places environmentalism at the centre of its curriculum and sustainability is also woven into the fabric of school operations, with the school campus serving a living model of sustainable practices. The school's holistic approach to sustainability enables students not just to learn about environmental issues - but to develop the skills to address them. Through innovative hands-on projects, community engagement and imaginative collaborations, Liberty Woodland is inspiring its students to become future custodians of our planet.”
ISA Award for Innovation in Independent Education
Westbourne School
Judge’s comments:
“Technology, especially AI, played a prominent role in the entries for this category. While many schools have found creative ways to integrate technology into their curriculum, Westbourne School has truly raised the bar with their use of 'hologram teachers,' which students have praised as a 'game changer'.”
2024 Awards Judges
Paul Bevis
Paul Bevis (FFCCT) has more than fifty year’s experience as a teacher and school leader in the independent sector. Paul retired as Headteacher of Claires Court Girls and Co-Ed Sixth form in 2017. Since then he has led many ISA courses and national conferences and worked as a school improvement partner for multi-academy trusts and individual schools. Paul has been an A Level Chief Examiner, is the co-author of three academic text books and teacher guides and is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching (FFCCT).
Nick Dennis
Nick has taught History and Politics at state and independent schools and is an Honorary Fellow of the Schools History Project. He is Deputy Head Academic at Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong, which on the Spears/Carfax index is ranked as one of the top 100 schools in the world. He is a co-presenter of a series of documentary films for the World History Project and serves as a board member for a variety of international and national education organisations. Nick’s work has been published widely, including contributions to academic books, resources for students and literary magazines.
Barry Huggett
Born in Romford, Essex, he attended Brentwood School. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry, started to train as an actuary, but office life did not suit him, so he entered the teaching profession and found that was the niche he wanted to occupy. He began teaching in a primary school in Tilbury docks, then he taught STEM subjects in a prep school, before becoming Headmaster of More House School Frensham.
His qualifications include BA (Hons), QTS and FRSB.
He was Headmaster of More House School in Farnham from 1993 until 2015 when he became Principal of The More House Foundation. More House School provides high quality education and pastoral care for boys aged eight to eighteen who might be bright, but struggle in mainstream schools due to SEND issues. When he joined the school there were 69 pupils, when he left there were 470, around half funded by some 35 LAs on EHCPs, the rest privately funded.
The More House Foundation aims to open other schools similar to the one in Farnham, to offer expert SEND help to independent and maintained schools and to also specialise in training and research into SpLD, language and social communication issues.
Barry is an Independent Trustee of the ISA and makes pre-compliance inspections of schools. He chairs the ISC Advisory Group for SEND. He has represented the ISC in discussions with DfE and other official bodies He has spoken at educational conferences and gives advice to fellow Heads who encounter problems with SEND legislation. He has been an adviser to A Class of Your Own, a social enterprise group, who run Design, Engineer, Construct courses at several levels.
In 2014, he was awarded an OBE by the Queen for Services to Education.
Married with 2 children, one of whom has followed in his footsteps and is Headteacher at a Primary School in the North East and the other a Consultant at a large teaching hospital.
Barry would like to offer help in all aspects of SEND including EHCPs and relationships with LAs and Tribunals. Additionally school development and vocational studies.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 07900 698 892
Amanda Kirby
Amanda Kirby was the Headmistress at Cundall Manor School until her retirement in 2022.
Education is much more than academic learning within a classroom and Amanda passionately believes that the ‘soft skills’ and character development that comes from an enriching programme is vital, not only in school, but also in the world that lies beyond education.
Amanda inspects with ISI as both a Team and Compliance Inspector and uses these skills as part of the ISA Inspection committee.
With 3 adult children, now all following their passions, Amanda understands how encouraging our pupils to try new experiences and to push themselves beyond their comfort zone will open a whole new world of opportunity.
Angie Shatford
Angie is a communications expert with over 25 years’ experience in marketing and public relations.
As a Senior Press Officer with the Metropolitan Police Service, Angie worked on some of the biggest news stories of the last three decades, including the inquest into the death of Princess Diana and the Millennium Dome Diamond Robbery.
In 2011, Angie joined the Independent Schools Association as Marketing and Communications Manager, working with ISA schools across the UK. Angie supported ISA’s member schools with marketing and PR, wrote and edited the newsletter and magazine and worked closely with stakeholders including ISC and DfE.
Angie established Inkstream PR in 2015 to help schools, universities and education companies communicate more effectively. Working with creative agencies, Angie is a conceptual copywriter for leading brands and was recently appointed Communications Lead for EDI training consultancy Radius Networks.
Andrew Hampton
Tamazin Steele
Tamazin Steele is the Executive Director of ISTIP and has oversight of the overall management and strategic direction of the organisation. She has worked for ISTIP since 2015; before that, she taught for 15 years in a large secondary school in South West London. Prior to qualifying as a teacher Tamazin worked for an investment bank.
Tamazin is co-chair of Governors at a primary school in SW London.