We are so proud – and so excited! – to share the momentous news that we have been shortlisted as national finalists in the ISA Awards 2025!
Mylnhurst is in the running in the Outstanding Sport (Small School) category – a terrific testament to the work of our incredible sports teachers Mrs Buchanan, Mr Holmes, and Mrs Newton and her swim team.
Of the 42 finalists across 15 tight categories, only six other schools are from the North of England, and we are one of only two schools in the whole of Yorkshire (the other is in York) to be shortlisted.
The Independent Schools Association awards recognise the gold standard in independent education, and the ISA is the biggest association of independent schools in England, with almost 800 members.
The judges told us: “The awards are a celebration of innovation, achievement and positive impact in developing the change-makers of tomorrow… The quality of entries was very high, and the judges were particularly impressed by the work taking place in your school.”
The nomination – just three weeks before our annual Open Morning on October 11th, from 10am to 12noon – comes after a stellar year of sport here at Mylnhurst. Last year we were named British champions in biathlon, boasted the fastest schoolboy runner in the city, and had swimmers competing on the national stage.
Our children featured in the local news and on regional TV for their sporting achievements, and travelled the length and breadth of the country to take part in competitions and fixtures in almost every discipline.
Last November we sent a trio of swimmers to the London Aquatics Centre to represent the Midlands at the ISA National Finals, and two came away with silver. In March three of our boys won team gold in the Great British Schools National Biathlon Championships, open to every school in the country, and one of our Y3 girls scooped bronze in the individual races.
Our U11 boys are reigning Midlands cross country champions, and our boys make up the Boys’ Relay City Champions team, and include the 80m sprint Sheffield winner.
Our three dedicated sports teachers, all of whom are practising sportsmen and women in their own right, are not only expert coaches but also inspirational role models in their field.
Mr Holmes, our Head of Boys’ Sport, has just retired from captaining Sheffield’s foremost semi-professional rugby club Sheffield Tigers RUFC, and ran out 250 times for its first team – a tally topped in modern history by only two other players.
Mrs Buchanan, our Head of Girls’ Sport, celebrates 10 years next year as the founder and captain of Sheffield’s leading junior netball club.
Mrs Newton, Head of School Swimming, has devised and launched Mylnhurst’s very own inaugural in-house swimming programme, with benchmarks aligned to Swim England’s scheme. The programme assesses not just swimming progress but the children’s understanding of swimming within science, body health, and the wider academic curriculum. The provision of targeted goals, badges and certificates foregoes the need for private swimming lessons outside of school. Children learn to swim at Mylnhurst just as they do phonics and reading, computing and maths.
Headmaster Mr Mike Hibbert said: “It’s not all about medals, trophies, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities of course – and there are plenty of competitions and fixtures we absolutely don’t win! – but that’s the point, too. Taking part, trying your best, and having the resilience to smile and shake hands even when the results don’t go your way is at the heart of everything we teach, and what the ‘Mylnhurst spirit’ is all about.
“Sport may be the cornerstone of so much that we do – but the credit belongs entirely to our inspirational staff and their commitment to providing opportunity, and guaranteeing inclusivity of participation, for all. Every child takes part in every sport, and every success – from a gold medal at national level to a first, nervous, swim of a width without a woggle – is celebrated.”
We cannot wait for the awards ceremony in November to celebrate with some extremely prestigious fellow schools.
Good luck to everyone shortlisted – and enormous well done to our entire Mylnhurst staff, children and families for this magnificent accolade. Wish us luck!