It was a very prestigious occasion when the leading independent schools gathered together for the Annual ‘Times Education Independent School Awards’ at Grosvenor House in Park Lane, London at the beginning of the month.
Gabbitas has been a sponsor for the past three years providing the award for the Senior Leadership Team. Looking at the quality of the entries for all of the awards It was a true testament to the expertise, professionalism and passion for those working in the independent sector.
The TES Awards help to highlight the accomplishments of this vibrant sector. There are several categories of awards highlighting the breadth and depth of the work currently being undertaken by schools in this sector.
Six Schools were shortlisted for the Gabbitas Senior Leadership Team Award: Dover College, Epsom College, Holme Grange School, Hurstpierpoint College, Orchard House School and the Holmewood School
All were excellent submissions but the winner was the outstanding Holmewood School.
Commenting on their well deserved win TES said
“Working in an autism specialist like the Holmewood School, where all pupils are on the spectrum and more than half have mental health needs, can often be challenging. But the senior leadership team’s commitment to putting student and staff welfare first was what set it apart for the judges.
The senior leadership team’s holistic and open-minded approach shapes the school: as Ofsted noted at a 2018 inspection, “staff share leaders’ vision to ‘think differently’ about pupils on the autistic spectrum”.
Lead judge John Claughton said: “Holmewood richly deserved to win not only through the quality of their submission but also because it is important to show that there are outstanding specialist schools in the independent sector for students with special educational needs. That diversity of provision is too often hidden.”
Gabbitas was delighted to present the school with their award.
