Looking forward to the 2020 Education Business Awards

Originally scheduled for 9 July, the Education Business Awards have been postponed until 3 November due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Awards, held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in London (formerly the Grange Hotel), will showcase the effort and dedication of teachers, school management and support staff in 23 categories.

Presenting the 2020 Awards will be former GMTV anchor and TV presenter Fiona Philips who is involved in numerous charities including, The Children’s Society and PDSA.

Sponsoring the awards this year are Office Depot, Emotional Logic, LocknCharge, PFU - a Fujitsu company, and Community Playthings.

Entries for this year’s awards close on 18 September and can be submitted on the website address at the end of the article.

Here is a look at the categories as well as the excellent work of past winners.

There are three awards that recognise the outstanding progress that primary, secondary and independent schools have achieved, looking at all the factors that lead to better educational outcomes. Looking forward to the 2020 Education Business Awards

Last year Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane scooped the award for Outstanding Progress in the primary category, for its excellent turnaround, going from ‘requires improvement’ in 2012 to ‘outstanding’ in 2019. Leaders at the school are said to be ‘uncompromising in their determination to continually improve pupils’ outcomes.’

The Outstanding Progress award in the Secondary School category last year went to Pleckgate High School in Blackburn. In 2013, the school was judged ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted and after converting to Academy status and winning an Educational Outcomes Award in 2017, the school has been hailed as a ‘Beacon of Success’ by the DfE. The school was rated Outstanding in its latest inspection report published in January 2019.

Dunottar School in Surrey won the Outstanding Progress award in the Independent school sector. The school has been transformed since facing near closure in 2014 as a girls only school to becoming coeducational and over-subscribed. In just four years, pupil numbers have more than tripled.

The Academy Partnership Award is presented to the established specialist academy that can demonstrate benefits to the community through a partnership with an existing establishment, such as a primary school, secondary school, or university. In 2019, Castledon College won the award for the links it had built with numerous employers to develop work placements for learners with SEND.

The Community Award recognises schools working in partnership with other public sector bodies on projects that bring specific benefits to the local community. The 2019 winner was Gilbrook Primary School in Wirral for the work the school has done to help parents’ mental help and for the links it has forged with a range of professionals to help support community cohesion.

The Art & Craft Award is presented to the educational establishment that can provide first class learning environment and modern, flexible facilities for students of art & craft. Last year Queens Park

Primary School, which serves as a local educational and community hub for extracurricular opportunity in the arts, was presented with the award. The School Music Award is presented to the educational establishment that can demonstrate a commitment to improving the quality of musical learning through the provision of a first class teaching environment. Last year Lindley Junior School won the award for its choir which won Barnardos Choir of the Year three years running.

The Educational Visits Award is presented to the educational establishment that can demonstrate a commitment to providing students with a range of subject specific educational visits in order to further their learning experience. Last year, Ernesettle Community School in Devon scooped the award. It is in the highest quintile for deprivation in the country and offers fully-subsidised trips, visits and visitors to ensure the curriculum is as broad and inspiring as possible.

The Sports Award is awarded to the educational establishment in the UK that can demonstrate an outstanding commitment to developing the sporting skills of its students through the provision of first class facilities and coaching programmes. In 2019 Winner, Fairholme Primary School for its excellent sports provision and after school clubs.

The Environmental Practice Award is given to the school project that can demonstrate a benefit to the environment and the environmental education of its pupils. Bedford Drive Primary School in Birkenhead won the award last year. Its Eco Club started almost ten years ago and has since empowered pupils to improve their environmental awareness and drive change.

The Excellence in Health and Safety Award celebrates best practice in operational health and safety and recognises the valuable work the responsible managers do to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for teachers, pupils and the general public every day. The 2019 winner was Hallbrook Primary School in Leicestershire for its exemplary health and safety practices, including silent evacuations to ensure the school is successfully evacuated in the event of a terrorist attack.

The ICT Facility Award is presented to the educational establishment offers a first class environment for the teaching of ICT and related subjects. Last year the winning school was Minehead Middle School in Somerset. The school boasts three ICT suites, one of which was refurbished with new computers in September 2018. What’s more, a set of Lego Mindstorms robots are used to learn about programming and robotics.

The ICT Innovation Award is given to the educational establishment in the UK that can demonstrate innovation in its approach to teaching IT and computing that furthers the learning experience of its students. St Swithun Wells’ Catholic Primary School in Middlesex won the award last year for being in the top three coding schools nationally.

The Play Space Award recognises the outdoor playground environment and spaces in nurseries/primary schools where innovative equipment creates opportunities for learning. In 2019 Putney High School in London was awarded the recognition for its play space that features trapeze handles, acrobatic bars, scramble beams, clamber nets, and a raised tree-house den and tipi platform for creative role play.

The School Building Award is presented to the establishment that has what is judged to be the most technically advanced building constructed for the purpose of teaching pupils. Bishop Chavasse Church of England Primary School in Kent won the award last year. Officially opening in April last year, the calm and spacious environment provides great opportunities for learning both inside and outside. The new library forms an integral part of the school, which features inspiring book areas in every classroom and breakout reading spaces.

The School Catering Award is presented to an educational establishment in the UK that can demonstrate a commitment to healthy eating and a first class catering service available to all students. The Holmewood School in London wom the award last year for its Occupational Therapy Café, which started life as a way to help a student who was at risk of exclusion due to poor behaviour. The School Security Award recognises the UK school that has made outstanding efforts to increase security through a combination of increased awareness in staff and pupils and the procurement and installation of additional security measures. The 2019 winner was Hope View Independent School in Canterbury which has installed new security measures such as an anti-climb system.

The School Finance Award recognises effective financial practices, the results of which provide evidence of a positive impact on schools, academies and MATs. The Weald Community School and Sixth Form in West Sussex won the award last year for achieving a balance between an ideal curriculum and one the school can afford.

The School Procurement Award recognises an individual project where a school has worked with an outside agency or local authority to refine its buying practices and increase value to the taxpayer. Camden Learning won the award last year for its school led procurement practices and saving over 14 per cent on spending.

The School Recruitment Award is presented to an educational establishment which has invested in its recruitment methods and processes to ensure a timely intake of appropriate teaching and support staff. The 2019 winner was North Yorkshire Education Services which has developed a bank of talent to meet the demand for teachers.

The SEN Inclusion Award is presented to the UK Mainstream School that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs. The 2019 winner was Marine Primary Acdemy in Devon which has a full time Speech and Language Therapist, three teachers who have the National Award for SEN Coordination Qualification (including the Headteacher), a full time Inclusion Teacher and a Pets as Therapy Dog.

The SEN Provision Award is presented to the UK SEN Establishment that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs. The 2019 winner was Castledon School & College in Essex for the work pupils do within the community to raise awareness of the needs of the students with SEND.

The STEM Award is presented to the educational establishment that has excelled in the provision of a first class environment for teaching STEM subjects. Kirton Primary School in Lincolnshire won the award. STEM involvement days with other primary schools, a STEM club and information evenings for parents have combined to help progress and attainment in science. L

Entries for this year’s awards close on Friday 18 September and can be submitted on the website address below.

www.ebawards.co.uk