Finding spare time as a headteacher can often require near-alchemical skill.

Yet Alan Gray, head of Sandringham School, in St Albans, manages every day to attend every extracurricular and social activity that his school runs.

The Hertfordshire head has just been named headteacher of the year at the Tes Schools Awards 2017.

“Whatever you do, you have to make the people you’re with at that time feel like they’re the only people of importance,” Gray says. “You’re not clock-watching, you’re not talking about other things. I think that’s one of the secrets of success.”

The annual Tes Schools Awards celebrate dedication, hard work and commitment that goes above and beyond the call of duty in the teaching profession.

Gray is so determined to put his pupils first that he was unable to attend the awards ceremony - he was with Year 8 on a field trip.

He missed a glittering event hosted by comedian Julian Clary. In a sparklingly lit ballroom at the Grosvenor House hotel, on London’s prestigious Park Lane, Clary coupled pointed asides about award-winners’ outfits with respect for their professional achievements.

The evening’s winners show off their awards

More than 1,100 people attended the ceremony, among them the education secretary, Justine Greening.

Addressing the assembled guests, Greening said that the Tes Schools Awards were an important opportunity to celebrate the work that teachers do.

“I really do feel that teachers are the first celebrities that we have in our lives,” Greening said. “I go back to my childhood, and I do remember that, if you spot a teacher in the supermarket, how exciting that is for all of us. It was like, ‘What are they buying?’

“You are celebrities, and that’s why these awards really matter - because they are celebrating all the amazing work you do.”

Greening presented the lifetime achievement award to Sine MacVicar, recognising 44 years of service at Dunbeg Primary School, in Oban in the west of Scotland. First a classroom teacher and now headteacher, MacVicar works with young people in and out of school, leading Girl Guides and church groups. She regularly invites elderly members of the community into the school, where they are cooked for and entertained by pupils. The judges said of MacVicar: “The time, energy and commitment that she has dedicated is extraordinary.”

‘It was just so posh’

“I’m so happy - I’m just scraping myself off the ceiling,” MacVicar says. “What a night. I’ll never do that again in my life. It was just the atmosphere, the buzz, the hugeness of it - it was just so posh. The whole community has taken these awards on board. Their wee village in the west of Scotland has gone national and they are so, so proud.”

Gray came in for similar praise from the judges. As well as attending extracurricular clubs and events, he mentors heads in other schools. He also ensured his was the first school to make contact with British astronaut Tim Peake on the International Space Station.

The judges said: “Alan Gray is an exceptional headteacher. His can-do approach to educational achievement is an inspiration.”

The staff of overall school of the year winner, Broadford Primary in Romford, East London

As well as honouring individual teachers, the awards recognised whole-school achievements. The award for overall school of the year was presented to Broadford Primary School, in Romford, East London. It was a rare unanimous decision by the judges, recognising a wide-ranging programme including book clubs, knitting sessions and museum visits that the school offers its pupils.

“We became ‘outstanding’ in 2014, and I didn’t think it was going to get better than that,” says Lois Nicholls, Broadford headteacher. “Now - just, wow. Where do you go from here? These are new heights. Heights that I never thought would happen to us.”

Broadford pupils celebrated with ice creams during lesson time on Monday. Staff hired an ice-cream van, and children sat on the school field, basking in sunshine and glory.

“Obviously, the teachers celebrated at the ceremony on Friday,” says Nicholls. “So the children celebrated with ice cream. They all felt very proud of themselves.”

Competition for overall school of the year was tough. Everton Nursery School and Family Centre in Liverpool, named early years setting of the year, also recognises the importance of extracurricular learning.

The nursery - which serves one of the most deprived areas of the city - regularly invites musicians from the Liverpool Philharmonic and artists from Tate Liverpool to deliver cultural education to pupils.

On Monday, Everton staff placed their award, and a photograph of staff at the ceremony, on the reception desk for pupils to see. “One child looked at the photograph and said, ‘There’s my Kate,’” says assistant headteacher Kate Doyle. “The children feel very proud as well.”

Meanwhile, staff at the secondary school of the year, St Thomas the Apostle College, in Nunhead, south-east London, have overseen a dramatic transformation in their school. It was the lowest-ranking secondary in its area in 2012; last year, it was 11th in the national league tables for Progress 8.

“The recognition is important, for the boys especially,” says headteacher Eamon Connolly. “They’ve been told for years and years the school was the bottom of the league table, and wasn’t the place people wanted to be. There’s a real buzz in the school now. We made the announcement, and the students just broke out into spontaneous applause. They’ve been going around and thanking all the teachers, which is lovely to hear.”

The alternative provision school of the year also specialises in dramatic turnarounds. Pupils who attend The Boxing Academy, in Hackney, East London, have usually been excluded for violence or anti-social behaviour. But academy staff offer them a fresh start, providing boxing sessions to improve their concentration and fitness.

‘Brave approach’

Last year, 80 per cent of pupils at The Boxing Academy achieved five GCSE passes, and 100 per cent of leavers went on to college or to an apprenticeship. The judges commented: “It demonstrates how a brave approach to behaviour can really pay off.”

Anna Cain, the academy’s headteacher, describes the win as “crazy”.

“We’ve sort of always assumed that we’re too alternative, even for the category of alternative,” she says. “For a number of years, there would be regular conversations with people who’d say, ‘That’s a terrible idea. Boxing’s terribly violent.’

“It’s a very typical point of view from people who were never teenagers coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Boxing isn’t about violence. It’s about keeping in control, and not allowing your anger to rule you.”

Ann Mroz, editor of Tes, says that it was wonderful to be celebrating the achievements of so many heads, teachers and schools.

“Teachers tend not to go into education for the glory, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve it,” she says. “We wanted to give them the recognition - and the glamour - that they have earned.”

And, she adds, it was a particular thrill to see teachers’ achievements publicly recognised by the secretary of state.

She stayed for the whole evening,” Mroz says. “She went around, talking to the teachers, and even posed for selfies with them. That was a first for me, and I’ve held a lot of awards in my time.”

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