Four UK schools are among 50 that have been shortlisted for a share of a $250,000 prize pot, set up to recognise the “world’s best schools”.
Dunoon Grammar School in Argyll and Bute, the London Academy of Excellence in Newham, Totteridge Academy in Barnet and St Helen’s School in Hillingdon have each been shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes, launched by T4 Education.
The 50 schools are split across five categories, with prizes for community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity, and supporting healthy lives.
The schools shortlisted are from 29 different countries. India has the most schools on the shortlist with five, followed by the UK with four, and then Brazil, the Philippines and the US, each with three.
Dunoon Grammar School, a state secondary school, has been named on the shortlist for the community collaboration award, while state sixth form the London Academy of Excellence and state secondary the Totteridge Academy are both shortlisted for “supporting healthy lives”.
Meanwhile, the independent all-girls St Helen’s School has been shortlisted for the innovation award.
How do the awards work?
The shortlists for each prize - currently down to ten - will be whittled down to three top finalists for each of the categories and announced later this year. A public advisory vote will then be held online, which will be given to a panel of judges - including former minister of state for schools and learning Lord Jim Knight and CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching Dame Alison Peacock - to help them decide on the eventual winners.
The winners will be announced in October and the $250,000 prize shared between them, with each receiving $50,000.
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said that the prizes had been launched to tell the “inspirational” stories of schools that are transforming the lives of their students and “making a real difference to their communities”.
He said he wanted to congratulate the UK schools on the list, and added: “Educators all over the world will now be able to learn from the examples of these outstanding UK schools.”
Why were the schools nominated?
According to the award organisers, Dunoon Grammar School is using its skill-based courses “to turn around the fortunes of its predominantly rural local area”, which has seen an “exodus” of young people.
To try and reverse this “brain drain,” the school evaluated the community’s needs and gaps in the workplace and it facilitated over 50 skill-based courses to “empower” students to work in a range of different professions.
The London Academy of Excellence was praised for launching a comprehensive “wellbeing strategy” focused on improving its students’ healthy habits, behaviour, knowledge and skills.
The school worked with a local university, which sent a team of psychology students to provide all its Year 12 students with a dedicated course on strategies to improve wellbeing. The school also ran a bespoke “wellbeing ambassador” training programme for its student-led mental health network.
Totteridge Academy was praised for its partnership with local charity GROW to turn a disused field into 6-acre “agroecological farm”, which it uses to grow produce for healthy school meals as well as for its subsidised and affordable veg box scheme for all.
It said the school had “developed a unique programme” that allows students living in urban areas, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds, to learn sustainable food growing skills.
And St Helens School was shortlisted for innovation, for its “attractive” termly academic challenges for all students - from musical composition competitions to philosophy essays - and also an outreach programme it runs that helps marginalised students with learning.
They were also praised for their use of “nudge theory” in education, highlighted in a Tes article by the school’s director of teaching and learning last month.
