10/09/2026
Holme Grange shortlisted for national award for innovation in education
Wokingham school recognised for helping pupils develop the business skills, confidence and entrepreneurial thinking needed for the jobs of the future
Holme Grange School has been shortlisted for a prestigious national education award after being recognised for the way it prepares pupils for a rapidly changing world of work.
The Wokingham school has been named as a finalist in the 2026 Talk Education Awards for Innovation in Education, earning a place on the shortlist in the Entrepreneurship & Business category.
The awards celebrate schools developing innovative approaches to education, with the Entrepreneurship & Business category examining how schools are preparing today's young people for jobs that may not even exist yet, while developing and empowering the business leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
For Holme Grange, the nomination recognises an approach which stretches well beyond textbooks, examinations and traditional classroom learning.
Head Pippa Adams said the whole school community was delighted to receive the recognition.
“We are absolutely delighted that Holme Grange has been shortlisted for this award,” she said.
“It is wonderful recognition of the exceptional quality of teaching across our school and of the commitment, creativity and ambition of our staff, who are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to make learning meaningful and relevant for our pupils.
“Innovation is not about introducing something new simply for the sake of it; it is about ensuring that our curriculum evolves to meet the needs of the young people we are educating today as part of our vision to prepare pupils for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.
“To have that approach recognised by Talk Education is a tremendous achievement and one of which our whole school community can be very proud.”
At Holme Grange, the phrase “Future Ready” is intended to mean considerably more than simply preparing a pupil for the next school year, examination or academic qualification.
From an early age, pupils are encouraged to be curious, think creatively, solve problems and communicate their ideas.
Just as importantly, the school wants youngsters to develop the confidence to take those ideas away from the drawing board and turn them into something tangible.
Entrepreneurial thinking has consequently become embedded across school life.
Rather than viewing entrepreneurship purely as learning how to set up and run a company, Holme Grange sees it as a much broader collection of skills.
That includes having the confidence to innovate, the resilience to deal with setbacks, the curiosity to question how and why things work and the courage to take advantage of new opportunities.
They are qualities the school believes will become increasingly valuable as today's pupils eventually enter a workplace likely to look very different from the one their parents and teachers have known.
Practical challenges play a major part in bringing those lessons to life.
Through KidsMBA Young Business Studies, together with Dragon's Den and Shark Tank-style enterprise projects, pupils work together to develop ideas, tackle problems and eventually face perhaps the most nerve-racking part of the exercise — standing in front of a panel and convincing somebody else that their big idea really is worth backing.
The schemes encourage youngsters not only to have ideas but to research them, refine them, communicate them and defend their decisions.
For older pupils, the financial world also becomes part of the classroom.
Year 10 Business Studies pupils take part in a Stocks & Shares Challenge, managing their own virtual investment portfolios.
They analyse market trends, consider the possible impact of global events and make strategic decisions about their investments — fortunately without having to explain to their parents why the family savings disappeared following one particularly ambitious trade.
Behind the fun is some serious learning.
The exercise develops financial literacy, commercial awareness, resilience, critical thinking and informed decision-making while giving pupils an opportunity to see how events taking place around the world can affect businesses and financial markets.
Holme Grange's approach has also shown that a classroom idea does not necessarily have to remain in the classroom.
One Senior School pupil identified the problem of food waste and came up with an idea for an app which could help reduce the amount being wasted within the school.
Rather than simply earning a mark and disappearing into a folder, the concept was taken further.
Holme Grange's catering provider subsequently developed the pupil's idea into a prototype, providing a striking example of how something conceived by a youngster at school could potentially develop into a genuine real-world solution.
Head of Business Studies Will Reed believes connecting lessons with what is happening outside the school gates is crucial.
“Alongside striving for academic excellence, it is crucial that our pupils are immersed in the world of business beyond the curriculum and understand the impact of current business news,” he said.
“Their interest and curiosity really peak when discussions turn to current business stories and real-life examples.
“Our pupils also want to understand more about individual and family financial planning — from taxes and mortgages to pensions — and we have embedded more of this into their learning to continue building the financial literacy they will need for their future.”
It means pupils are being introduced to subjects which many adults might confess they wished somebody had explained to them rather earlier in life.
Mortgages, taxation, pensions and personal finance sit alongside traditional business topics, helping youngsters understand not just how companies operate but some of the financial decisions they themselves will eventually have to make.
Reed added: “I am delighted by the curiosity and enthusiasm with which our pupils have embraced the business challenges presented to them this year.
“From Year 10 pupils building and tracking simulated share portfolios, to younger Senior pupils pitching new products to a panel of judges, and marketing and selling products in school, they have embraced every opportunity to put their learning into practice.”
It is that mixture of creativity, practical experience and confidence to turn an idea into action which sits at the centre of Holme Grange's submission for the national award.
The school believes education has to prepare youngsters not simply for the careers already available today but for an employment landscape which could alter dramatically during their lifetime.
Technology, artificial intelligence, changing industries and entirely new professions mean some pupils currently sitting in Holme Grange classrooms could eventually find themselves working in jobs which have not yet been invented.
The school's philosophy is summed up by its belief that while nobody can accurately forecast exactly what those careers will look like, schools can give youngsters the skills to adapt to whatever comes next.
“We cannot predict the jobs our pupils will do in twenty years' time. What we can do is ensure they leave Holme Grange with the curiosity to explore them, the confidence to create them and the character to lead them.”
Holme Grange is an all-through school in Wokingham, Berkshire, providing education and care for boys and girls from nine months to 16 years.
The school has previously been ranked among the national Top Five by The Sunday Times Parent Power awards and recognised by the UK Education Choices Awards for its work in sustainability and sport.
From its recently refurbished Nursery through to GCSE level, Holme Grange says its aim is to provide one continuous educational journey in which academic achievement is combined with pastoral care, independence, resilience and a lifelong enthusiasm for learning.
Now, following its latest national recognition, the school's own entrepreneurial philosophy appears to have paid a dividend — with Holme Grange firmly in contention for one of the 2026 Talk Education Awards for Innovation in Education.
