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Share The Edurio National Trusted Leadership Award recognises schools across England where staff report the highest levels of confidence in their leadership, based on nationally benchmarked survey data.
School staff face complex professional challenges every day, from workload and behaviour to resourcing, change and the emotional demands of the job. Leadership matters most when colleagues feel these realities are genuinely understood.
This year’s award highlights the schools where staff are most confident that leadership understand their professional challenges. These organisations have built cultures of listening, empathy and action, where staff voice is taken seriously and leadership decisions are grounded in lived experience.
With staff feedback from 1,729 schools nationwide, competition for this award was exceptionally strong. The ten winning schools represent an exceptional standard for trusted leadership, showing what it looks like when leaders listen well, understand pressures and create supportive professional environments.
As Ernest Jenavs, CEO at Edurio, explains:
“When colleagues are confident that leaders understand their challenges, it reflects a culture of listening, empathy and evidence-informed decisions that help staff thrive and, ultimately, benefit pupils.”
Celebrating excellence: The National Trusted Leadership Award winners
The schools recognised below are the top 10 highest-scoring schools in England, out of 1,729 participating schools, for staff responses to the question:
“How confident are you that the leadership understand your professional challenges?”
National Trusted Leadership Award:
- Avanti Schools Trust – Avanti Grange
- The Dean Trust – Dean Trust Wigan
- The Dean Trust – Dean Trust Rose Bridge
- The Priory Federation of Academies – Cherry Willingham Primary Academy
- The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust – Lipson Co-operative Academy
- LEO Academy Trust – Shawley Community Primary Academy
What this award measures, and why it matters
Trusted leadership is not only about visibility or good intentions. It is the lived experience of whether colleagues feel heard, understood and supported when facing the realities of their role.
This award is based on Edurio’s national analysis of staff feedback collected across England during the 2024/25 academic year, using Edurio’s Staff Experience survey. In total, 1,729 schools in England participated.
In other words, this recognition is grounded in what staff say, at scale.
What set the winning schools apart
A strong score on leadership understanding often reflects a wider set of cultural and professional conditions. In schools where staff feel well understood, leadership tends to make listening visible, meaningful and consistent.
Across the winners, common features often include:
- Open dialogue between staff and leadership, where concerns can be raised honestly
- Empathetic decision-making, shaped by an understanding of day-to-day pressures
- Leadership visibility, with leaders present and engaged in school life
- Practical support, not just acknowledgement, when challenges affect professional practice
- A culture of trust, where staff feel respected, valued and taken seriously
These behaviours help colleagues feel more supported in their roles and more confident in the direction of the organisation.
Trusted leadership is a school improvement lever
When staff feel leadership understand their challenges, everyone benefits.
- Trust grows, because colleagues believe their experiences are recognised and respected
- Decision-making improves, because leaders are better informed by staff voice
- Wellbeing is strengthened, when pressures are acknowledged and support is practical
- Retention is supported, because people are more likely to stay in cultures where they feel understood
Trusted leadership is not a soft extra. It is a practical foundation for a healthier, more sustainable school culture.
Build stronger trust in your school or trust
Improving leadership trust starts with a clear understanding of how staff experience leadership today.
Staff feedback helps leaders identify whether colleagues feel heard, where confidence is strong, and where further listening or action may be needed. That insight helps schools make targeted changes that strengthen culture, support wellbeing and build long-term trust.
If you want to reflect on trusted leadership in your organisation, start with the question at the heart of this award:
“How confident are you that the leadership understand your professional challenges?”
Make it visible. Make it discussable. Then act on it.
Practical examples from award-winning schools acting on feedback well
Our Listening and Acting in Schools guide brings together examples from award-winning schools on how listening can become part of everyday leadership practice.
In the guide, you’ll find practical examples of how award-winning schools:
- build listening into daily culture, not just surveys
- respond to staff, pupil and parent feedback in meaningful ways
- turn feedback into visible improvements
- demonstrate the leadership behaviours that help stakeholders feel heard
- communicate actions clearly to build trust over time
Read our Listening and Acting in Schools guide
Learn how award-winning schools embed listening into everyday leadership, respond to staff, pupil and parent feedback, and close the feedback loop through visible action and clear communication.
How do I win an award?
Read our recent blog post on this topic here!
See how Edurio can help you build trust through feedback
Book a demo to explore how your school or trust can gather better insight, benchmark with confidence, and act on feedback in a way stakeholders can see.
