When picking a secondary school for kids to attend, most parents will consider factors like the location, Ofsted ratings, and exam results.
Private schools will often come out on top for those who can afford to pay for their children’s education, and we recently discovered Cardiff Sixth Form College received the best A-Level scores for 2024.
But if private school isn’t an option, don’t panic, as it turns out the UK has some wonderful state schools — including one of the best in the world.
Avanti House Secondary School in Stanmore has made it into the final three for the World’s Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives.
The award was founded by T4 Education, and celebrates schools around the world that really understand their role in fostering and cultivating healthy habits, behaviours, knowledge, and skills, as well as those that prioritise and provide access and opportunities for students and their community to be healthy.
Avanti House has been shortlisted for its ‘unwavering commitment to ensuring healthy settings and conditions for their students and wider community, allowing them to fulfil their potential and thrive’.
The Hindu-faith school is for pupils aged between 11 and 19, and while their ethos is drawn from the Vaishnavist tradition of the Hindu Faith, they are fully inclusive, with no faith-based admissions criteria. Anyone who wants to apply to the school is able to.
But what’s most unique about this place of learning is that as well as following a traditional curriculum, the free school also teaches its pupils extra subjects like yoga, philosophy, ethics, Sanskrit, and meditation.
Their website states: ‘At Avanti House we deliver a rounded education to nurture confident and creative young people who will thrive in adult life.
‘We put an equal emphasis on the highest academic achievement alongside the development of character and spiritual insight.’
The Avanti Schools Trust recently shared a statement about the award nomination, saying: ‘We’re thrilled to announce that Avanti House Secondary School has been shortlisted in the top 3 for the World’s Best School for Supporting Healthy Lives!
‘This recognition reflects our commitment to promoting well-being, mindfulness, and a balanced lifestyle for all our students.’
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, is also celebrating the news that the school has made it into the final three of the competition.
He said: ‘It’s fantastic that Avanti House has been nominated for the World’s Best School Prize. I’d like to congratulate the teachers, parents and pupils for all their hard work.
‘The school puts the health and wellbeing of pupils at the heart of everything it does, supporting their physical and mental health in its curriculum and achieves impressive results. They’re a brilliant example of what is great about our capital, as we build a better London for everyone.’
Joining Avanti House in the final three for the award are Istituto Galilei-Costa-Scarambone in Leece, Italy, and Middleton International School in Singapore.
The winners will be announced in October and will share a $50,000 prize fund. The schools will also be invited to take part in a summit in Dubai.
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