Four major prizes have gone to teachers and schools in London at the Tes Schools Awards, one of the biggest nights in the UK education calendar which was held on Friday 23rd June at the Grosvenor House Hotel, on London’s Park Lane.

Best Use of Technology: Eltham College, Eltham, London
Headteacher of the Year (State): Delia Smith OBE, Ark Academy, Wembley, London
Secondary School of the Year: The Totteridge Academy, London
Excellence in Creative Arts: Chiswick School, London

Dubbed the ‘Oscars of Education’, the Tes Schools Awards is in its landmark 15th year. It celebrates the extraordinary commitment, quality and innovation shown by teachers and support staff across the UK, and London schools were some of the most successful at this year’s awards.

Eltham College won their Best Use of Technology award due to a simple but very effective initiative that helps staff members to never again pronounce a child’s name wrong and has had a profound impact on the school community.
The ‘Every Name Matters’ initiative was launched at the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year following a survey and pupil focus groups. Steered by race, ethnicity and cultural heritage lead Gideon Hammond, the initiative was driven by a desire to ensure that every child felt noticed, important and valued. Pronouncing the children’s names accurately was seen as a crucial step that would help pupils and families feel a greater sense of belonging and trust and strengthen relationships.
Judge John Roberts said: “This initiative was relatively simple but genuinely innovative and brilliant for driving inclusivity and community in the school. It’s low cost, easy to integrate with school information systems and delivers huge impact – I’d recommend other schools to try this where they can!”
Guy Sanderson, Headmaster from Eltham College said “This award is fantastic and for an initiative that was all about real, day-to-day inclusion. Calling and pronouncing people by their names properly makes them feel welcome and at home.”
Delia Smith OBE has served as a headteacher for almost 30 years and for the past 13 years has led Ark Academy in Wembley, north-west London. She won the Headteacher of the Year (State) Award.
Creating warm, safe and vibrant environments in which children thrive and reach their full potential – regardless of the social and economic challenges they and their community face – is at the centre of everything she does. Delia’s tenacious focus on ensuring that every student has the best opportunity to succeed is neatly summed up by the motto displayed in the school’s atrium: ‘We will never have this opportunity again’.
Judge Julie Robinson said: “Delia stood out as someone of incredible talent and genuine values. She is an absolute heroine and an amazing woman.”
Delia said on the win: “It’s a privilege to be a headteacher today. It’s been a tough year and I salute all headteachers for what they are doing in schools across the country. The difference they are making to children’s lives is remarkable.”

The Totteridge Academy in north London won the Secondary School of the Year award for its incredible journey from 2016. Back then just 39% of students achieved five good GCSE passes in English and maths and the school had the lowest progress score in the local authority. With Principal Chris Fairbairn and much of the senior leadership team joining in September 2016 a transformation was set in motion. Fast forward to today and the contrast is startling.
The school now has the highest progress score in the local authority and is in the top 50 nationally for overall progress, putting it in the top 1.2% for GCSEs and the top 25% for A levels. It has also succeeded in bucking national trends in closing the GCSE Progress 8 gap for pupil premium students. It’s clear that The Totteridge Academy is a school in which children feel happy, included, excited to learn, valued for their individuality and efforts – and prepared for their futures.
Judge Christine Gilbert said: “The success of The Totteridge Academy’s transformation is both impressive and inspiring. This is now a school where students love learning and staff are passionate about teaching. They are right to feel proud of their many fantastic achievements and their ambition to do better still is remarkable. This award pays tribute to the strong, thriving and inclusive community at The Totteridge Academy which is achieving so much both within and beyond the school”.
Chris Fairburn from The Totteridge Academy said ‘I’m so incredibly proud of this award and I’m collecting it on behalf of all the staff that do so much every day at Totteridge. The dedication of the team is outstanding, and it shows.”

Chiswick School won the Excellence in Creative Arts award due to its creative and performing arts department reaching far beyond the classroom. In the year 2021-22 the department produced more than 50 community arts projects, including 25 productions and concerts, working with professional artists, musicians and theatre companies across west London, including the Lyric Theatre.
With around 15% of the school participating in projects outside of curriculum time, the department welcomes participation in these activities from all students from any background. A fifth of students are eligible for pupil premium and there is an even split between genders as well as high participation from black and minority ethnic students, well above the school average.
The department shies away from the traditional ‘one musical a year’ approach and instead produces an intentionally challenging programme that gives students a real learning experience, including Shakespeare, Greek, classical music and ballet.
Judge Lucy Cuthbertson said: “Chiswick has a broad offering across the arts, and all of them are great with everyone taking part. They are clearly doing something extraordinary. They go out of their way to stretch their students and not do the predictable”.
Tommy Robinson from Chiswick school said: ‘The importance of the arts in school life is reflected in this award and we are so happy that it exists to recognise that. We are very proud of all the work that the staff and pupils do – it’s the whole school community.”
Tes editor and chief judge of the Tes Schools Awards Jon Severs said: “With these awards we honour the education community, who we’ve served for nearly 113 years. This year has seen some incredibly high-quality entries.
“These awards showcase just how vital our education professionals are to every facet of this country. Teachers, leaders and support staff all play such an important role in schools: this is our chance to say thank you for all that they do.”
To find out more, please visit: https://www.tes.com/en-gb/schools-awards
Frozen the Musical provided a spectacular opening to the Tes Schools Awards. Laura Emmitt performed Let it Go to the delight of the guests!