A London secondary is in the running for a World’s Best School Award and a share of $50,000 prize money.
Avanti House Secondary school in Stanmore has reached the final three of the World’s Best School Prizes 2024 in the Supporting Healthy Lives category.
The Hindu state school includes subjects such as philosophy, yoga, ethics and meditation in the timetable alongside traditional subjects, in a bid to develop “well-rounded” students and support their well-beingas they cope with exam pressure. It also emphasises the importance of nutrition and has a vegetarian menu.
The school said it values pupils’ spiritual insight and character formation as much as educational excellence.
The international prize was launched in the wake of the pandemic in 2022 to highlight schools that are doing outstanding work in five categories – Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives.
The winners will be announced next month and invited to a summit in Dubai. They will share a $50,000 prize fund.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s fantastic that Avanti House has been nominated for the World’s Best School Prize and 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.”
Simon Arnell, Principal of Avanti House, said: “Avanti House Secondary School is thrilled to be announced as a top three finalist for the World’s Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives. Through the Avanti Way students, staff and the community engage in a holistic journey in excellence in education for all.
“Collectively students from all ages across the school will engage in a vast variety of activities to support their wellbeing and their mental and spiritual growth. Mindfulness, yoga, poetry, gardening, Kirtan, journaling, Sanga arejust a few of the activities that students choose to start their day at Avanti House.”
The World’s Best School Prizes were founded by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express and the Lemann Foundation.
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education, said: "Unless the world takes urgent action, it is set to miss UN SustainableDevelopment Goal 4 of universal quality education by 2030. The global education crisis is multifaceted and so must be the solutions.
"That's why we must look to the grassroots, to our schools at the coalface, for answers. To exceptional UK institutions like Grange School, Venturers' Academy, and Avanti House Secondary School, whosework should make governments around the world sit up and take notice.
"By spreading its innovations far and wide, we can inspire change where it's needed most."
