The ISA Awards

The ISA Awards is an annual event that celebrates success in our Members’ schools, and recognises the breadth of quality and provision in independent education across the country.

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.

ISA Awards 2021

The 2021 ISA Awards Ceremony took place on Thursday 11 November, where we were delighted to announce winners and to celebrate the achievements of our Members’ schools.

ISA would like to thank everybody who took the time to enter the awards, particularly after what has been another challenging year for schools. The exceptional provision displayed throughout all the entries offers a true testament to the talented teachers and pupils that make up our diverse Association.

Photos from the ceremony can be viewed via ISA Gold Supplier Bentley Photographic. Prints are available for purchase and digital downloads cost 1p.

See the winners and our judges comments by clicking on the award titles below.

ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Early Years

Winner:
Emmanuel School Derby

Emmanuel School Derby impressed the judges with their fantastic level of dedication to learning. All staff led passionate and enthusing Zoom lessons during lockdown that kept pupils learning and developing as effectively as if they had been in the classroom. Evidence from parents shows that the innovation and care demonstrated by staff had a real and measurable effect.

ISA Junior School of the Year Award

Winner:
Heathcote Prep School

The judges agreed that Heathcote, a small proprietorial school, responded to the challenges of the past year by showing exemplary teamwork, pulling together, embracing technology, upskilling staff to become Microsoft Innovative Educators, supporting all families at home and even giving the school a major facelift – and all this while meeting the individual learning needs of every pupil. The school has seen a well-deserved and significant rise in pupil numbers and has been recognised by Microsoft and Pearson for their outstanding innovation and dedication.

ISA Senior School of the Year Award

Winner:
King’s High School Warwick

The judges agreed that when the pandemic hit, Kings High School’s focus on wellbeing, community and learning provided a fantastic focus for responding effectively. Its huge range of programmes and activities aligned to these themes provided a comprehensive and inclusive foundation for a well-rounded but high attaining education in both Covid and more normal times.

ISA Award for Outstanding Sport (Small School)

Winner:
Myddelton College

The judges agreed that the impressive sporting landscape at Myddelton College, encourages everyone to get involved at all levels. The school’s Sports Ambassadors scheme offers students a chance to develop their leadership skills, and the newly launched football and tennis academies provide opportunity for professional growth and individual excellence. There have been numerous student accolades of late, too many to mention, and the school are continuously providing exciting speakers to inspire and motivate their students.

ISA Award for Outstanding Sport (Large School)

Winner:
Bournemouth Collegiate School

The judges were convinced that sport is at the heart of Bournemouth Collegiate. The school has developed partnerships with a leading university and Bournemouth football club, both significantly increasing opportunities and prospects for students. Girl’s football is thriving with over 90 students on the club’s pathway programme. The last two years have seen the number of community sports events double, and the school host over 1000 local competitors throughout the year. Sporting excellence and participation through the implementation of many notable initiatives have led to Bournemouth Collegiate thoroughly deserving this award.

ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Performing Arts

Winner: 
King’s High School Warwick

The level of opportunity and encouragement given to pupils at Kings High means that involvement in the Arts is high across the school, and not just limited to a select elite few. The fantastic facilities at Kings High allow the school to offer both an amazing Arts curriculum, and also a wonderfully enriching programme of extra-curricular activities. The proof of their accomplishment lies in the positive engagement of famous and successful alumni, who are keen to return to the school to share their success with the aspiring pupils.

ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Fine Arts

Winner:
Rochester Independent College

The judges were impressed with the huge range of ways in which Rochester Independent College values, promotes and gives profile to the arts and considered the College an inspiration to the whole sector. The link between an aesthetic appreciation of the visual arts and personal development runs through all aspects of school life and is highly valued by the whole school community.

ISA Award for Outstanding Provision for Learning Support

Winner:
Frewen College

The judges agreed that Frewen College provided a safe, calm and enriching environment where whatever the ability, the children would be happy and fearless on their educational journey.

ISA Award for Excellence in Pupil Personal Development

Winner:
Moon Hall School Reigate

The judges agreed Moon Hall provided a fine balance of excellent pastoral care and creative development in an atmosphere where a child would learn to succeed.

ISA Award for Outstanding Local Community Involvement

Winner:
Leighton Park School

The judges considered the programme of community involvement activities and charitable events at Leighton Park to be remarkable. From supporting literacy skills in local primaries, to delivering nutritious meals to those in need, to supporting a local pupil referral unit, the list goes on. Boarders at the school have spent their weekends volunteering for a local charity supporting new parents and their babies. The fundraising events are too numerous to mention and they clearly show that responsible, caring citizenship is valued very highly at Leighton park.

ISA Award for Outstanding International Involvement

Winner:
Myddelton College

The judges were impressed how Myddelton College used modern technology to develop a pen pal scheme enabling international dialogue linking with France and Russia using FLIPGRID and developing relationships through social media and presentations. The judges were impressed with the way students were enabled to share cultural experiences and link educationally. This scheme opened up the horizons of students in a meaningful way, enabling them to build personal relationships with others across the world and they are now sharing poetry and social justice work.

ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Winner:
Dwight School London

The judges considered that Dwight School demonstrated commitment to building an anti-racist culture through a BLM forum and a focus on language, in particular ensuring that attitudes towards and needs of Black and Asian students are met. The judges were impressed by the way Dwight engaged the school community at a personal level with the issues of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, encouraging personal engagement with the issues in a meaningful way and adapting to accommodate the needs of different groups of students.

ISA Award for Excellence and Innovation in Mental Health and Wellbeing

Winner:
DLD College London

The judges considered the Wellbeing Centre at the heart of DLD College London a testament to the school’s absolute focus on supporting the health and wellbeing of their students. Not only do they value pupils’ wellbeing, they actively monitor it through questionnaires and tracking tools. All staff are Mental Health First Aid trained and the school now provides similar training at other schools in the local community. Many staff have also undertaken Sleep training and now champion the health and wellbeing benefits of better sleep patterns. DLD College London provides a shining example of how we can all do more to support the ‘whole child’.