How important is creativity in schools today?

Some of the critics of league tables and inspections paint a picture of a strictly utilitarian education system, where that which cannot be measured is squeezed out.

But as any headteacher will tell you, this is not the whole picture, and this category celebrates those schools that make children think differently, beyond the strictures of the conventional curriculum.

And with an entrepreneur in residence and a writer in residence, Surbiton High, in south-west London, is a school that has placed creativity at the centre of learning.

In its submission, the school said that the entrepreneur “puts creative thinking at the heart of all its enterprise activities” - and this is not just a case of woolly words. All these activities are ranked against seven enterprise learning outcomes, so the school can analyse the impact of the programme. And the writer brings together the creative instinct for original ideas and the art of fine writing - one born of the imagination and one a technical skill.

But this is far from the limit of creativity at Surbiton: it also seeks to demonstrate how creativity can be used across all subjects. 

The judges said: “Surbiton High School enjoys very specific and explicit emphasis on creativity. Significant resources support the effort and ideas, and projects and competitions within the school (and more broadly through the school’s parent Trust, ULT) stimulate healthy competition and also showcase what has been achieved.

“Results are thus highly visible, and it’s clear that for the school this entry is no one-off project but an ongoing and central theme.”

For all other Tes Independent School Awards winners, click here or follow the hashtag  #tesISAwards

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