Big Education Trust

20/08/2026

🚨 Have you voted yet?
🎉 Surrey Square Primary School has been named as one of the Top 10 finalists in the world for the T4 Education World's Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives!
✨ This achievement belongs to every member of Team SSq, Old Kent Road Family Zone and the entire SSq community!
🗳️ Please VOTE NOW for Team SSq: https://vote.worldsbestschool.org/public-vote-26
The winners will be announced in the Autumn.

Thank you for reading and please share!

01/07/2026

🚨Have you heard the news?!

Surrey Square Primary School has been named as one of the Top 10 finalists in the world for the T4 EducationWorld's Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives.

This recognition celebrates so much of what makes Surrey Square special. The judges recognised that supporting healthy lives is about much more than one programme or initiative. It's about the way high-quality teaching, wellbeing, pastoral care, family support and community partnerships come together to help children thrive, alongside the opportunities we give them to become changemakers and make a difference in the world around them.

This achievement belongs to every member of the SSq community who all play a part in creating the community that has been recognised on the world stage!

Please VOTE NOW for Team SSq: https://vote.worldsbestschool.org/public-vote-26

Thank you for reading and please share!

19/06/2026

We’re delighted to share that our School 360 Headteacher Andi has been named a Silver Winner of the Pearson National Teaching Awards for Headteacher of the Year! Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement! We had an exciting morning celebrating all of our amazing teachers and staff with our whole community, including an original song from our talented students and there wasn't a dry eye by the end! On , today we’re especially proud to celebrate their incredible dedication and impact on every student they All support and the special community that the school fosters!
Oasis Community Learning The Pearson National Teaching Awards School 360 Signorelli Bakery

19/06/2026

Schools and colleges play a vital role in enrichment. But they cannot do it alone. Some of the most powerful learning happens when education settings, youth organisations, cultural institutions, and local employers work together around a shared vision for young people.

That’s why Big Education joined forces with partners across sectors to form the Enrichment for All Steering Group.

The new Enrichment Benchmarks Companion Toolkit showcases what’s possible when we collaborate, offering practical guidance for building stronger local partnerships and connected ecosystems of opportunity. We’re delighted to support its launch and encourage colleagues across the sector to explore and share it.

Together, we can ensure more young people have access to the experiences and relationships that help them thrive.

Explore the Toolkit: http://enrichmentforall.org/

18/06/2026

Every young person deserves the chance to discover what they enjoy, what they are good at, and how they can contribute to the world around them. Yet, access to these life-shaping opportunities is still too often determined by background or postcode.

As a member of the Steering Group that launched the Enrichment for All coalition, we are proud to champion the launch of the Enrichment Benchmarks Companion Toolkit.

This toolkit shares practical approaches to ensure the young people most likely to miss out are not left behind. Crucially, it aligns with our belief that education should be done with young people, not just to them, recognising that the best opportunities are always co-designed with youth voice at the centre.

Explore the Toolkit: http://enrichmentforall.org/

18/06/2026

The publication of the Department for Education's Enrichment Framework marks an important moment for young people. It reflects a growing recognition that enrichment is not an optional extra, but a vital part of helping young people develop confidence, belonging, skills, purpose, and a sense of who they are.

At Big Education, we believe true education goes beyond exams, it's about the whole child. The challenge now is turning that big ambition into reality.

As a member of the Enrichment for All Steering Group, we are incredibly proud to have helped launch this coalition and to support the launch of the new Enrichment Benchmarks Companion Toolkit. Developed collaboratively across education, youth, sport, culture, and employer sectors, this toolkit brings together practical guidance to help schools, colleges, and trusts strengthen access to high-quality enrichment for all young people.

This is only the first step. The real opportunity lies in what we do together next.

Explore the Toolkit: http://enrichmentforall.org/

Enrichment for All believes young people should have the chance to thrive through joyful and diverse experiences beyond the classroom.

15/06/2026

🚨New Blog Post!
📢 Play doesn’t have to mean “less rigour”.
In this brilliant reflection from the Rethinking School network, Tim Kellow (Luxulyan School) explores how Self-Determination Theory can help schools embed play well — by protecting pupils’ autonomy, competence and relatedness. And they’re doing it in a disciplined way: starting small (with History), keeping expectations high, and redesigning the pathway for pupils to show what they know.

🔍 Read the full piece here: https://bigeducation.org/be-blogs/starting-small-thinking-deeply-rethinking-play-through-self-determination-theory/
ℹ️ Find out more about the programme and get your school involved here: https://bigeducation.org/rethinking-school/

PlayfulLearning Cornwall Education Learning Trust

13/06/2026

🚨NEW BLOG ALERT!
📢 Rethinking school starts with what we choose to notice.

In this blog, Donal Keenan of New-Bridge Integrated College asks: if young people are navigating social media, AI, and post-pandemic pressures, why do we still reduce “success” to a number? Let’s measure what matters too — progress, confidence, and resilience beyond grades.

ℹ️ Read the blog here: https://bigeducation.org/be-blogs/rethinking-school-recognising-resilience/

Donal is part of our Rethinking School project - find out more and get your school involved here: https://bigeducation.org/rethinking-school/