Schools named in roll of honour

Four of London's most outstanding schools are to be honoured for their contribution to raising standards of education in the capital. They have been named as winners of this year's Evening Standard London School Awards.

They serve very different communities, educating very different pupils. What they share is a determination to do the utmost for their students and a refusal to settle for second best.

Next month, they will receive their awards from Education Secretary Estelle Morris, along with cheques totalling £20,000.

The four schools are The Grey Coat Hospital C of E School in Victoria, Preston Manor High School in Wembley, St Barnabas and St Philip's C of E Primary School in Kensington and Michael Faraday Primary School in Walworth.

They have been chosen from a shortlist drawn up by Chief Inspector of Schools Mike Tomlinson, based on his reports. A full list of schools that received excellent inspection verdicts during the past year and did well in national tests and examinations - from which our winners are drawn - is published his annual report.

Two of our winning schools, Grey Coat Hospital in Westminster and St Barnabas and St Philip's in Kensington and Chelsea, are honouredfor their academic excellence. Grey Coat Hospital, a church school for girls founded 300 years ago, describes itself as one of the most genuinely comprehensive in London-Pupils are admitted by its own assessment tests, with a quarter from the top and bottom bands of ability and half from the middle band. Children come from right across the capital. Overall attainment on entry is average. But by age 16, eight out of 10 pupils get at least five good GCSEs.

More than that, the school aims "to enable our girls to take charge of their learning and make decisions based on the Christian values and live in the world as independent women, meeting the challenges of the 21st century".

St Barnabas and St Philip's was awarded beacon school status by the Government 18 months ago to mark its excellent teaching of literacy and numeracy. More than nine out of 10 of its pupils meet the standards expected when they leave the school, 100 per cent in science.

It could serve as a model for the inclusive faith-based school which the Government wants to encourage. It has a strong Christian ethos, but is sought out by Muslim parents and those of other religions and none.

"Their parents like our high standards and the emphasis on ensuring that every child reaches their full potential," said headteacher Stella Beaver.

Our other two winning schools, Preston Manor High School in the borough of Brent and Michael Faraday in Southwark, are recognised for their outstanding success in challenging circumstances.

At Preston Manor eight out of 10 children do not have English as their first language and one in four comes from parents sufficiently poor to qualify for free school meals.

Children arrive at the school with primary school test results well below average. By age 16, nearly seven out of 10 have achieved at least five good GCSEs.

The school prides itself on putting into practice the rhetoric of social inclusion. "We really want every child to achieve. The whole focus is on ensuring that every child's needs are met," said head Andrea Berkeley.

Michael Faraday serves the Aylesbury estate in Walworth, a tough estate with a high level of social deprivation. More than six out of 10 children come from families on social security benefit.

Headteacher Karen Fowler describes her school as an "oasis of calm" in her children's lives. "The ethos of this school is all about high expectations. Children know from the outset that they come here to learn," she said.

The outcome is test results which compare well with schools in far more favoured circumstances. More than six out of 10 pupils achieved at the expected level in English as they left the school this year, more than eight out of 10 in maths and nearly all in science.

Schools not inspected by Ofsted during the last full academic year are not eligible for awards. However, we are committed to repeat the awards in future, so all London's schools will be considered eventually.