44 Centres of Excellence go the extra mile in embedding leadership skills

We’re delighted to announce the Leadership Skills Foundation’s 44 Centres of Excellence for the 2025/26 academic year. 

These schools, colleges and community settings across the UK and beyond, are truly our ‘gold standard’ in bringing leadership skills to life. 

The centres have gone beyond delivering Leadership Skills Foundation awards and qualifications. Even where timetables are full and classroom time is limited, these centres have found creative, intentional ways to: 

• Build learner confidence, raise aspirations, and open new opportunities through meaningful leadership experiences. 
• Extend leadership beyond the classroom, engaging communities and other schools to give learners real-world opportunities to lead locally and regionally. 
• Embedded leadership at the heart of school, college or community setting culture, integrating it into values and delivery rather than treating it as an add-on.

Raising aspirations and creating opportunities 

On hearing of their school being selected, Leah McClure of Aldersley High School said: 

A growing movement for leadership skills 

Now in its third year, the Centres of Excellence programme continues to grow — not just in numbers, but in ambition and impact.
 

Together, our Centres of Excellence are: 

• Exploring new and inclusive ways to develop leadership skills. 
• Sharing insight into what works for different learners and settings. 
• Helping shape the future of essential skills education. 

They also provide a valuable opportunity for teachers and practitioners to learn from best practice and bring fresh ideas back to their own schools and colleges. If you’re interested in learning from our Centres of Excellence, contact Helen Rawlins. 

We’re proud to work alongside every Centre of Excellence and the dedicated teams who make this work happen. Most of all, we celebrate the learners — whose confidence, voice and leadership are the reason we do what we do. 

The full list of Centres of Excellence for 2025/26

• Abbey Grange Academy
• Active Fusion
• Aldersley High School
• American International School of Bucharest
• Aston Academy
• Aylesbury High School
• Beaumont Leys School
• Belle Vue Girls’ Academy
• Bensham Manor School
• Blackpool Sixth Form College
• Blaze Limited
• Budmouth Academy
• Chadwell Heath Academy
• Chipping Norton School
• Derby College
• Dubai British School
• ESF Explore
• Formby High School
• Harris Academy Ockendon
• Hartpury College
• Ian Mikardo High School
• Jack Hunt School
• Kingsbury Green Primary School
• Kingsbury High School
• Liverpool Football Club Foundation
• Louth LSP
• Malvern Primary School
• Mid Kent College
• MSSP – Harris Academy Morden
• New College Doncaster
• New College Pontefract
• Prenton High School for Girls
• Rinova Ltd
• Saltash community school
• Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School
• South Hunsley School
• St Christopher’s School Wrexham
• Surbiton High School
• The Nobel School
• Twynham Primary School
• University College Isle of Man
• Wakefield Girls’ High School
• Wings School Notts
• Yeovil College

Congratulations again to every Centre of Excellence and those who work to deliver and embed the programmes in these brilliant organisations. And, as always, well done to the learners, who are the very reason we do the work we do. 

You can find the location of all our Centres of Excellence here in our interactive map!

Read more about the impact our centres and learners have here.