St Swithun’s School shortlisted for Tes Schools Awards 2024
03 May 2024
St Swithun’s School in Winchester has an additional reason to celebrate its 140th anniversary this weekend with the news that it has been recognised amongst the best schools across the country after being shortlisted in this year’s Tes Schools Awards. The Tes Schools Awards, which have been dubbed the ‘Oscars of education’, is a prestigious awards programme which celebrates the best of education across the UK. It has now been revealed that St Swithun’s School has been shortlisted in the Best Use of Technology category.
The all-girls school has been shortlisted for its work with Jane Portas OBE to provide financial education to sixth-form students using an EdTech platform.
Over the last year, the Sixth Form, led by head of sixth form Nick Fyfe, participated in the development of an innovative, online financial education platform with shared values, to provide young people with a comprehensive financial life and fairness education.
THINKMONEY THINKLIFE is founded by Jane Portas whose ground-breaking research on financial lives identifies “6 Moments That Matter” – six key life stages – in everybody’s life where they can take control to secure their financial future, and who is committed to providing financial education for all young people.
The Tes Schools Awards recognises the very best teachers and schools from UK state and independent schools, across early years settings, primary and secondary.
The shortlist was compiled by a panel of expert judges, including school leaders and experts. The schools and teachers they chose showcase the best of education across the sector within 21 award categories, covering all areas of school education.
St Swithun’s headmistress Jane Gandee said, “We are thrilled to be nominated. We are passionate about developing strong, independent women with the confidence to take risks in the real world. The platform helps to equip our students with the financial capability to enable them to secure their financial wellbeing. Alongside that, it empowers us to deliver on the educational and pastoral commitments that we make to our students and parents.”
Jane Portas said, “There is a clear need in education to provide all young people with the facts and skills to make informed choices about their money and their life. THINKMONEY THINKLIFE has a unique flexibility which allows young people to access interactive, real-life learning at their own pace, providing them with a grounding to secure a life of financial independence.
“I am delighted that the students at St Swithun’s have been part of the THINKMONEY THINKLIFE launch and that we can celebrate the recognition of not only the importance of the financial education, but also for them to lead in the innovation of delivering the learning through an individualised, web-based platform.”
Nick Fyfe, head of sixth form at St Swithun’s added, “Financial learning is a vital life skill that remains a significant gap in the curriculum for most schools, and we are delighted to be in the vanguard of addressing this through this innovative new platform.”
Jon Severs, Editor of Tes Magazine said, “Congratulations to all the shortlisted entries – the standard was so high this year despite the challenges schools face. It is critical we celebrate excellence and share it widely so we can ensure that the fantastic work happening in education is properly recognised.”
Winners will be announced on 21st June at a glittering gala awards night at the Grosvenor Hotel, Park Lane, in London.
This year also marked the first time Tes operated this awards programme internationally with the Tes Awards for International Schools. More information on the international version of these awards can be found here.
To find the shortlist online, please visit https://www.tes.com/en-gb/schools-awards from 9AM on 3rd May.
Watch the pilot video here.
St Swithun’s Winchester is a renowned independent day, weekly and full-boarding school for girls. Founded in 1884 by Anna Bramston alongside Amelie LeRoy, it promotes quirky fun whilst providing modern academic, sporting, creative and recreational opportunities to prepare young women for the 21st century. The St Swithun’s vision is a world where its young women see possibilities, not barriers. Its purpose is to turn wide-eyed little girls into courageous young women; and its belief is that it’s not just about learning lessons, but learning who we are without fear of failure, censure or outdated attitudes about what young women can aspire to.
Want to come and see St Swithun’s for yourself? Why not join one of our upcoming open days. The next Senior School open day is on Saturday 22 June with the Prep School open afternoon taking place on Friday 17 May. Find out more and book your place: www.stswithuns.com/how-to-apply/open-days