Held annually since 2013, the Best in Everyone Awards celebrate the accomplishments, both academic and extracurricular, of students and staff at the Group’s schools nationwide. Following an in-school awards ceremony, each school then nominated their very best winners for the National Awards. Selected out of an impressive field of candidates, the lucky winners were invited to receive their awards at the prestigious ceremony, this year held at Oxford Town Hall. A virtual ceremony also took place online with videos posted on social media for colleagues, friends and family to enjoy.
At the ceremony, the winners were each given an engraved glass award by Sir Jon Coles to commemorate their achievements and enjoyed special musical performances from students Jude Gibbs from The John Roan School and Edward Grant from Midhurst Rother College.
To recognise the contributions of primary pupils in the Group, separate regional Northern and Southern ceremonies were also held at Hunningley Primary Academy in Yorkshire and Langford Primary School in London.
Sir Jon Coles, Chief Executive of United Learning, said:
“Congratulations to all our highly deserving award winners who we celebrated at this year’s Best in Everyone Awards ceremony in Oxford. From highlighting outstanding academic achievements to sporting and musical prowess, as well as those who go above and beyond to support others, the awards are a fantastic reflection of the wonderful students, staff and teams that we are lucky to have across United Learning. Each year, I am hugely impressed by our award winners and their extraordinary accomplishments, and this year was no exception. I hope they are all very proud of their success.”
One of the most prestigious awards of the night went to Paul McKinney at Paddington Academy who was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his commitment to the school for nearly 40 years.
Paul said:
"After 19 years at Paddington Academy and many more in teaching, I’ve continued to grow as an educator — always looking for ways to learn and improve. It’s been an amazing evening. It feels great to connect with other schools and be reminded that we are all one community under United Learning."
Another award celebrating committed service went to The Totteridge Academy’s retiring Chair of Governors Bronwen Tumani who was named ‘School Governor of the Year’, recognising her significant contributions since who took up the role in 2017.
Speaking about Bronwen’s legacy, Chris Fairbairn, Principal of The Totteridge Academy, said:
“These awards have provided an important opportunity to celebrate the invaluable contribution of our Chair of Governors, Bronwen Tumani, as she steps down from the role this summer. We are indebted to her for her time, energy and enthusiasm and her unwavering support of our school over so many years. Bronwen is part of the fabric of TTA and has undoubtedly made it a better place – we can’t thank her enough.”
From Irlam and Cadishead Academy, the school’s Social Action Team won ‘Student Team of the Year’ for the excellent work they have done to teach students across the school how to deliver CPR.
Commenting on their award, one member of the Social Action Team, Kirsty, said:
“I’m so glad I joined the Team because of the experiences and opportunities we’ve had. Winning the award is such a great accomplishment—we’re all really proud of it.”
Meanwhile, at the Regional Primary Pupil Awards, James Acton at Hill View Primary School was named ‘Sports Boy of the Year’ for his talents as a cricket player. He is a proud member of the England Performance Squad and represents Oxfordshire in county cricket, where he consistently delivers outstanding performances.
James said:
“Wow—this is amazing! I’m so excited and honoured to be accepting the award. I want to start by saying a big thank you to my coaches, my teammates, and my family. You’ve all helped me so much, and I couldn’t have done this without you.”
A full list of the winners can be found below: