We achieved our first Challenge Award accreditation in March 2019. Once we had decided to focus on working towards the Award, we purchased a package which included CPD training, check-in sessions and a pre-assessment day visit. This was so helpful and I really do recommend this type of package for a first accreditation. Our NACE consultant initially came to the school to talk through the Framework with me, chat through some ideas for the case study, and to introduce the Award and rationale to the whole staff body. This was about 18 months prior to our accreditation. Our journey towards a ‘challenge for all’ approach had begun!

Having the structure of the Framework to guide us and formalise what we already had in place was so helpful. There was also a lot of written guidance that walks you through each part, as well as the opportunity for check-ins to discuss the action plan, and a pre-assessment day visit which “held our hand” as we took heed of feedback and improved our processes.

The accreditation day itself was a joy! A date couldn’t be confirmed until we had submitted the completed Challenge Framework, along with supporting evidence and a case study. Once this had been approved the day was booked. It consisted of lesson observations and learning walks, work sampling, meetings with children, staff, governors and the SMT. Although this sounds a lot, once the timetable was drawn up and shared, the day pretty much ran itself. The rigorous nature of the Challenge Award really makes the external ratification of receiving the award so much more meaningful and special. It really felt like a celebration of our school and what we have in place for all children, including our most able.

Due to Covid delaying things a little, we gained our second accreditation in the spring term of 2023. It was more straightforward second time around and I also worked in partnership with our Deputy Head Academic, Jamie Moseley; sharing the load is vital for sustaining the work and moving towards a whole-school approach. We did not need to produce an evidence folder this time; just a new case study, updated action plan and framework, plus illustrating how we had addressed any development areas raised from the first assessment day. Consistency of feedback across the school was our main area to focus on between accreditations. We addressed this as a whole school by running CPD and making it one of our whole-school targets for the next performance management cycle and so embedding a more consistent approach.

The second accreditation day, again, was wonderful! We were so proud to be able to show our fabulous school off to the assessor. She saw a variety of lessons, met with a selection of staff and children, and we even managed to squeeze in a lunchtime concert! Following this we were advised that we may want to consider working towards NACE Challenge Award Ambassador Status for our third accreditation, which is due in spring 2026. This has encouraged us not just to maintain our standards, but to work towards sharing the knowledge we have gained with other schools and to work more reciprocally with NACE. Since our second accreditation NACE has continued to support us with regular check-ins and network meetings, as well as delivering CPD on improving questioning techniques (our development area from our second accreditation), which we again embedded, by making this a whole school focus for the academic year.

This very potted history brings us to present day, where I can honestly say that our NACE journey has transformed our school’s view of “challenge” – from being an add-on to being intrinsic to everything we do. I was very proud that during our recent ISI inspection a member of staff cited “challenge for all” as our approach to catering for our most able and went on to give examples of what this looks like in day-to-day practice.

My personal journey with Fairfield and NACE is now coming to a close. I am retiring and passing the baton fully onto Jamie and our newly formed Innovation Committee, to take the school to the next level and work towards NACE Ambassador Status. The NACE team continue to guide us through this process and we have action-planned the route together. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved so far and look forward to hearing about the next phase of the journey.

Exciting times ahead!

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To learn more about the impact of the NACE Challenge Development Programme at Fairfield Prep School, register to join the school’s NACE Challenge Award School Experience event on 23 January 2026.

Read about Fairfield Prep School's coding challenge.

To share your school’s experience of working with NACE, contact communications@nace.co.uk