Impact Awards 2026 - Secondary School of the Year

Christopher Whitehead Language College

Christopher Whitehead Language College is a large non-selective state school in Worcester, in the West Midlands, and they have a broad, diverse spectrum of students, with some students who come from significantly deprived socioeconomic backgrounds, Ukrainian and Syrian refugees, and they also support many students with Special Educational Needs, and they have a Mainstream Autism Base. 

The Classics provision in the school is outstanding, and the number of pupils taking up classical subjects is phenomenal!  They teach Classical Civilisation to GCSE and A Level, and Ancient History is also built into the Key Stage 3 curriculum.  Currently 110 pupils study Classical Civilisation at GCSE, and 30 at A Level!  This has made them one of the largest option subjects in the school!  1 in 4 students in Year 10 currently take the GCSE! 

The provision of Classics goes beyond the classroom too – they have run a number of international trips to Greece and Italy, and these trips have proved so popular (one trip had 50 students and another had 40 students) that the following year they ended up running two trips in one year!  Some of these students have never been abroad before!  Beyond school, they have had as much as 50% of their A Level cohort taking some form of classical subject at university, and the results the students achieve at A Level is fantastic!! 

What gave this application the added wow factor were not just one, but two, of the quotes that we received from students saying that “they would be the first in their families to go to university, and if it hadn’t been for doing Classics, they wouldn’t even have considered going to university!”  This shows the incredible impact Classics is having on the students here! 

Many congratulations to Verity for the brilliant work she is doing and for a very well-deserved award! 

Grace Mary Primary School

Grace Mary Primary, in the heart of the Black Country, serves a vibrant and diverse community — with over 30% of pupils on free school meals and more than a quarter learning English as an additional language. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted, it’s a school that aims high. 

And it’s brought Latin to every KS2 classroom. From Year 3 to 6, pupils follow a consistent, engaging programme that’s building confidence, curiosity, and real enjoyment. Careful planning, regular check-ins, and a clear commitment have made Latin both visible and sustainable. 

Because here, to quote the school, “it’s not just about Latin — it’s about opening the door to big ideas, rich stories, and a deeper understanding of language and culture.” 

The Rawlett School

Two passionate English teachers first came to us in 2017 for training to introduce an after-school Latin club for around 20 pupils; now, eight years down the line, there are 75 teachers who have received Classics for All training to teach Etymology and Latin to every single Year 7 pupil. This year the school has also begun to offer Latin as a GCSE. 

The transformation of Latin from a small cohort extra-curricular offer to a timetabled lesson for everyone is a testament to the passion and perseverance of teachers at The Rawlett School.

The Rawlett School celebrated the grand unveiling of a new section of their school library! Using their award money from the 2025 Impact Award, the school bought dozens of books about mythology and the ancient world. 

This year Overall First Place went to Seb at St Joseph's School. 

Seb created an outsanding and highly original piece combining science fiction with historical narrative. The judges were unanimous in selecting this as the overall winner. We were struck by the originality - we have never received a time travel story in this competition, and Seb's approach was entertaining and thought-provoking. 

We were impressed by the scale - at over 5,500 words, this demonstrates extraordinary dedication/ A truly impressive achievement. 

Comment from Teacher, Mrs McConaghy 

 We really enjoyed participating in the Classics for All competition, as well as making use of the excellent teaching resources in Year 7 English lessons. This has been a brilliant way to boost student engagement in super-curricular learning in a creative way, and it was lovely to see the wide ranging student entries, from stories to art to a computer game where everything King Midas touched turned to gold!  

Students have also really enjoyed the additional classics books we have been able to add to our library collection as a result of the competition - thanks to WMCFA and the Hellenic Bookservice for the excellent advice.  

As a state school who are unable to offer study of Latin, Greek or Classical civilisation within a mainstream academic offer, the Classics for All programme has been a really helpful way to allow students to access this area of learning, and easy for staff to deliver. 

Comment from Competition Winner, Seb

The joy which filled me at winning such a prestigious competition was unmatched and hard to put into words. It was a great experience filled with dedication and tribulation. However I enjoyed expressing myself in such a creative way and linking deeply with the Iliad

Make sure to check out the latest Ad Fam article by Sian Squire from Shrewsbury Sixth Form colleges! Read about how Sian engages the next generation of Classicists at A Level with twitter, youtube,  podcast and more...

Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby

This school began their journey into Classics in 2018 when they accepted an invitation to the inaugural Warwick network event at Warwick University. Inspired to introduce some Classics to the curriculum, with Classics for All’s support and funding, and the creation of bespoke resources and sessions, Classics was made available as an enrichment option to a small group of students in 2019. Following this success, they have now introduced Classical Civilisation GCSE and A Level. 

Receiving the Impact Award was a real honour and confidence booster for Classics at Lawrence Sheriff and helped us enhance the learning opportunities we could provide to our students. The prize money enabled us to purchase a range of specialist books for our Classical Civilisation Library which many A-Level and GCSE students take advantage of for further learning which supports their passion. 

It also enabled us to take part in even more visits to museums and heritage sites, where students could experience artefacts and collections first-hand. For example, we visited the British Museum and got to have an expert session on the Parthenon Sculptures. Seeing these objects up close brought new perspectives and helped bring the subject to life.