Westbourne wins 3 times in Pearson National Teaching Awards

Recognised on a national level

Exceptional teachers, exceptional support

These wins highlight the remarkable impact the teaching and leadership at Westbourne have on young lives, and on nurturing our students to achieve their very best both academically and personally.

The announcement comes as Westbourne celebrates National Thank a Teacher Day today with a fun-filled tea party and summer fete for parents, teachers and students, joining celebrities and schools across the UK paying tribute to all those who work in education.

National Thank a Teacher Day and the Pearson National Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity established over 25 years ago to celebrate the transformative impact of education, shining a spotlight on the pivotal roles teachers, support staff, colleges, schools and early years educators play in inspiring young people, every single day.

Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “The work and devotion of all of those who play a role in educating young people is phenomenal. Not only do they play a vital role in shaping minds inside the classroom, often they continue to encourage, support, motivate and inspire beyond. That’s why it is important for us to take a moment on this National Thank a Teacher Day to recognise their efforts. I am also thrilled to be able to congratulate this year’s Silver Award winners and recognise the amazing contributions and commitment they have shown is shaping the lives of the next generation – thank you!”

Early Years Team of the Year 2024

Little Westbourne Nursery benefits from an outstanding team dedicated to guiding and inspiring children to reach their fullest potential, rated Excellent by CIW.

The nursery is proud to provide so much more than a standard nursery experience – offering a family-orientated, caring, warm, “home-from-home” experience and an exhilarating learning journey for our children that supports their transition to primary school, with weekly transition sessions in Reception thanks to close links with teachers and staff in our thriving Prep School.

Heavily personalised and with a child-to-staff ratio of 4:1 in the toddler group, every child at Little Westbourne is allocated a bespoke learning plan catering to their developmental needs, including building confidence in reading & writing. 

Headteacher of the Year 2024

Our very own Head of School, Miss Chinnock, Bronze Winner for Headteacher of the Year 2024, has been applauded for the strength of her leadership, which has ensured that Westbourne in 2024 is sector-leading, including a leading-edge STEM curriculum, energising outdoor learning opportunities, and a dynamic extra-curricular programme. She said:

Digital Innovator of the Year 2024

Led by Mr Stuart Ayres, Digital Director, Westbourne School’s journey over recent years exemplifies a blend of sustained excellence and visionary growth. Technology integration has been a key driver.

An innovative use of technology, including AI-assisted learning and virtual reality, has transformed the learning experience for students, giving them the tools to research deeper and think more broadly, whilst a pioneering global classroom links students and teachers across the globe.

Highlights of our cutting-edge approach include:

• We were one of the first schools in Wales to adopt AI technology.
• EdTech is used to share resources, time and expertise between teachers and students across the entire world. 
• Google Classroom allows teachers to share all of their materials with students, giving feedback through direct annotation; Forms give automated feedback; and Century provides AI-assisted feedback to give students 3 ‘frequencies’ of assessment feedback.
• Our classrooms are equipped with primary and secondary displays, the secondary ones are equipped with thoughtfully positioned cameras to allow absent students to experience the classroom naturally.
• Robotics are used at each key stage to aid computational thinking: Sphero at KS1 and 2, Sphero Bolt at KS3 and Fable for KS4 and 5.