Children spend a lot of their lives at school. That\u2019s where they learn, it\u2019s probably where their friends are, and it\u2019s where they\u2019re being set up with skills and knowledge that\u2019ll benefit them for the rest of their lives. So, where your children go to school is pretty important.<\/p>\n
It can be tricky sometimes knowing where the best schools are, but some of them stand out as so great that they actually win awards. That\u2019s what Tes is all about.<\/p>\n
The annual Tes awards, which have been going for 17 years, seek to \u2018[highlight] the outstanding efforts and achievements in state and independent schools\u2019, with a focus on \u2018bringing independent and state schools together to celebrate excellence across the whole education sector in one inclusive national event.\u2019<\/p>\n
The 2025 awards took place last Friday (June 20), and winners were named in several categories from big ones like \u2018Inclusive School of the Year\u2019 to individual awards such as \u2018Teaching Assistant of the Year\u2019. It gets pretty competitive, but five London<\/a> schools managed to come out on top at\u00a0the ceremony.<\/p>\n The biggest win went to Oasis Academy South Bank<\/strong>, which\u00a0was\u00a0named Secondary School of the Year. The school was praised for its high teacher-retention, overwhelmingly positive outcomes for students, and for fostering an atmosphere that is \u2018calm, focused and filled with love\u2019.<\/p>\n Tes described the academy, which is free to attend, as providing \u2018pupils a warm, inclusive and supportive learning community that sets them up for life\u2019, adding that \u2018attendance is the second highest in the borough, despite the challenging circumstances of many pupils\u2019. Pretty impressive stuff.<\/p>\n Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery<\/strong> was named independent prep school of the year, with judges impressed by its forward thinking approach to education such as \u2018AI-enhanced learning and assessment, robotics on the curriculum\u2019 and more. Based in Dulwich, one expert described this school as \u2018one to watch\u2019.<\/p>\n Other wins included Trust of the Year (10 schools or more) for the Harris Federation<\/strong>, for\u00a0its high attainment levels and Ofsted reports, Best Use of Technology for the special needs school Abingdon House, which uses specialised tech to help its\u00a0neurodiverse student body thrive, and Subject Lead of the Year, which went to William McWhirter<\/strong>, the head of PE at Kingsdale Foundation School<\/strong>. Each of these wins was well-earned, and you can see the complete judges comments on the Tes website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Congrats \u2013 and thanks! \u2013 to all the schools and teachers keeping London\u2019s children well-educated and well-looked after.<\/p>\n Get schooled\u00a0with Time Out\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ve reported on a lot of school-related news. Here are\u00a0the best private prep schools near London<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0best for getting students Oxbridge offers<\/a>. Plus, this is the London university that is officially better than Oxford and Cambridge for 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n Private schools aren\u2019t the only ones serving exceptional education, though. See\u00a0which comprehensive state schools ranked highly on the\u00a0Sunday Times\u00a0Power Guide here<\/a>, and the\u00a0best selective and grammar schools, according to the same guide<\/a>. If you want to check out other league tables, these are the\u00a0UK’s best state secondary schools based on 2024 GCSE results<\/a>, according to Which School Advisor.<\/p>\n Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke \u2013 from news and reviews to events and trends. Just\u00a0<\/strong>follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n