A proud achievement for our community as ISZN is recognised for its commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement.  

ISZN is proud to have received the “We Share a Growth Mindset” Award from Cognita, the global network of schools to which we belong. Presented at this year’s annual Cognita Leadership Summit, the award recognises schools that foster a strong culture of learning, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

When presenting the award, Sarah Reynolds, Director of Education for Cognita Europe, shared:

“At ISZN, there has been a renewed focus on academic rigour which has been reflected in the commitment to improve and to ensure the students thrive now and in the future. The school has developed a new and clear pedagogical framework, learner profile, and a quality teaching and learning framework to raise standards across the school.

By embedding a more rigorous approach to data analysis, and holding themselves accountable to it, the school has created consistency and clarity of the expectations for staff and students alike. This shift has already delivered tangible impact: the most recent iGCSE results show the highest value-added across Cognita in Europe which is something the school are extremely proud of. Well done ISZN!”

Executive Principal, James Stenning, expressed his gratitude and pride in the ISZN team for their dedication and hard work:

“This award is a testament to the commitment and collaboration of every member of our team. I want to pay particular thanks to Chris Derrick and the Secondary Leadership Team for their exceptional work in embedding academic rigour in Secondary and developing a more analytical approach to data. Their leadership has made a real difference.

Having spent time with Sarah Lowery developing the Primary curriculum, I am also confident that our Primary team will continue to bring the same level of rigour and creativity into the next phase of our journey.”

The “We Share a Growth Mindset” Award highlights what makes ISZN unique: a community that believes in learning, improvement, and the power of perseverance. At ISZN, a growth mindset means that mistakes are part of learning, effort leads to progress, and “not yet” is one of our most powerful ideas.

Congratulations to the entire ISZN community on this well-deserved recognition – a reflection of the dedication, teamwork, and belief in growth that define our school.

#WeAreISZN