Outstanding Progress - Independent School

sponsored by Espresso Education and Channel 4 Learning
Presented to the UK Independent school that has made outstanding progress in the management of its facilities, finances and human resources and can demonstrate an increase in the educational performance of the school.

2011 Winner: St. Joseph’s School, Cornwall

St Joseph’s School recently received the Independent Schools Association (ISA) Award for Excellence. From top exam results and sporting prowess to national music and ballet success, alongside community fundraising, which pupils have organised over the past two years, the school is increasingly sought after. With a substantial increase in pupil numbers, the school’s continued commitment to maintaining small classes remains a bedrock priority. St Joseph’s combines broad, challenging, quality education with excellent pastoral care and extra-curricular opportunities. High in self-esteem, pupils respect others and their school environment, underlining the school’s aim to provide ‘a firm foundation for life’.

Commended

Ruthin School, Denbighshire
Ruthin School has a happy, highly committed atmosphere for its flourishing pupils, where tutors are currently intensifying their attention to extending the school’s competencies at the highest grades. By streamlining its finances and IT infrastructure, developing more effective tracking of pupils’ learning progress, restructuring the school day – adding 150 minutes per week study time, optimising use of the school’s staff and facilities, Ruthin is living up to its ethos of providing education in its widest sense.  With online reporting, the school will deepen parents’ knowledge of how that benefits pupils’ futures.

Gems Sherfield School, Hampshire
Sherfield School, in its eighth year as an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls, recently embedded a high level of personalised care and pupil leadership, dramatically increased boarding facilities, while embarking on the development of a new model of boarding as an IB world school. Pupils aged three months to 18 years have grown in numbers from 70 to 500 with boarding facilities doubling in a year.  A recreational youth club, communal areas for socialising and a Friday Forum have been created, with a boarding club expected in the future. Consequently, stronger pupil responsibility is encouraging more applications to board.

Caterham School, Surrey
Caterham School holds strongly to the view that while academic excellence is cardinal, the passion for learning, capacity for independent thinking, moral values, self-confidence without arrogance, and interests that extend into the wider world are all essential components. Caterham’s tutors take great pride in their position as one of the top schools in the country, but they do not believe enhancing the performance of students is purely about statistics, as impressive as they are. Quality of teaching, novel study materials and varied learning styles – all contributing to the highest levels of accomplishment – strengthen students’ fierce pride in their school and its culture of realising academic and personal development potential.

St. Paul’s School, London
With growing community partnerships, voluntary placements and a renewal campaign raising £77m for world class facilities, modernity is firmly in place at St. Paul’s School. Never losing sight of their founder’s words over 500 years ago, the school remains open to students “from all nations and countries indifferently”. Indeed, the school aims to pioneer needs-blind gifted entry. Modernity and traditional values, diversity of background, continuity of pastoral care, tolerance and a capacity for creative debate are a hallmark of St Paul’s pupils who leave as young men of principle, spirit and imagination – a third going on to Oxbridge.