Outstanding SLT of the Year

Felsted Preparatory School

"Leadership and management are excellent and managers at all levels have a clear vision of the direction and ethos of the school," report ISI inspectors of Felsted Preparatory School.

The SMT at the co-educational day and boarding school on the Essex-Hertfordshire border have made substantial strides since the previous inspection in January 2005, when head Jenny Burrett was newly appointed.

There have been many successful new developments and the effects on pupils have been significant. Pupil achievement and the quality of teaching have improved and are now excellent. Pupils and their parents "particularly appreciate the wealth of opportunities in extracurricular activities, the governance and management of the school, the ease of communication with staff… and the quality of pastoral care," said inspectors.

Development of people within the school community is vital to the continued success of the school, and all are committed to providing the best education. Governors are well informed about and are closely involved with the school. Staff are well trained. Pupils' personal development is excellent, according to inspectors, who remarked that: "Older pupils are mature and sensitive young people, happy to take responsibility for themselves and for younger peers."

Thorpe Hall School

The Thorpe Hall SLT has been responsible for (among many other things):

Curriculum: Enterprise and Business Studies GCSEs; Young Enterprise (extracurricular); Philosophy in lower school and Year 7; Choice afternoon for KS3, including golf, squash, sailing, horse riding, enterprise, maze-building, gardening and helping in the Lower School.

Investment: Complete refurbishment of the nursery, including an outdoor covered play area (£170k); Development of the infrastructure of the theatre; Development of the backbone of the ICT system (£20k); New all-weather cricket strip (£10k); New trim trail (£10k); Tractor with flail attachments to improve the grass (£13k); Refurbishment of the foyer and school office, introducing digital signage (£80k).

Teaching and learning: New VLE for all teachers to set homework on; Introduced a competency-based curriculum for all pupils from reception to Y11; Trained peer mentors in Y11; Staff mentors for pupils in Years 10 and 11 that need extra support.

Staff and management: Introduced curriculum review committee; Holiday reading and ICT tasks promote regular CPD; Enhanced support staffing levels in lower school; Annual appraisal for SLT.

General: New chef and kitchen staff; School Council empowered by head's weekly presence; Bursary award scheme.

Winner: Thorpe House School

The SLT at Thorpe House School embarked on a project to extend the school age range from 7-13 up to 7-16 six years ago. The school had 140 pupils, and the first group of Y9 pupils was admitted in September 2006. Five years later, the school now has 233 pupils, 118 of which are in the senior school.

The dedication of the leadership team to make the project successful has meant that not only have numbers grown but academic results have been excellent, uptake in extracurricular activities has been strong and good social relationships have been formed. GCSE results in summer 2010 placed the school 105th out of 4,024 schools.

The school has been inspected twice this year, once by Investors in People and once by the ISI Inspectorate. Within the body of the report it says: "There is a vibrancy in the school about the way that all staff feel that their views are sought and respected when it comes to improving school performance."

The ISI also recognised the strength of the leadership of the school: "The school benefits from outstanding leadership. A clear and well-communicated vision for the future… is supported by a committed senior leadership team."

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