Penarth, Wales – 20th October 2025 – Westbourne School has been recognised as the UK’s leading innovator in education, winning Best Use of Education Technology at the prestigious Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2025.

The accolade cements Westbourne’s position as one of Britain’s most forward-thinking schools – by reimagining how technology, neuroscience and global collaboration can transform learning outcomes for every student.

First of its kind AI – born in a classroom, not Silicon Valley

At the heart of Westbourne’s success is KnowVa Coach, a proprietary AI revision tutor co-developed with Cardiff University’s Neuroscience Department and Qinect, founded by INSEAD Associate Professor Adrian Johnson.

Unlike commercial AI tools, KnowVa Coach is a teacher-led, school-designed system built to enhance, not replace, human teaching. It adapts to each student’s needs using real-time feedback and Socratic questioning to promote a much deeper understanding of examined topics.

Early trials by Westbourne have shown a 30+% uplift in student attainment – the equivalent to almost 2 grades higher. Teachers have reported a measurable increase in independent thinking and student confidence. 2025 Sixth Form and GCSE results at Westbourne were among its best ever, with 95% of students achieving A*-B at Sixth Form, and 91% A*-B at GCSE.“This isn’t about replacing teachers – it’s about giving them superpowers,” said Stuart Ayres, Vice Principal of Westbourne School, himself voted Pearson Digital Innovator of the Year in 2024.

“KnowVa Coach allows us to personalise learning for every child in a way that was simply impossible before.”

Redefining the Classroom

Westbourne’s approach goes far beyond AI. Through its Global Classroom initiative, which centres around cutting-edge holographic teacher technology developed by Westbourne, the school runs live, interactive lessons across its international campuses in the UK, Singapore and Sydney, allowing pupils to learn alongside peers and global experts in real-time – sharing research, working on joint projects, and debating ideas.

Advanced classroom technology – from multi-camera streaming and real-time holographic projection to robotics and 3D printing – ensures every student experiences a globally connected, future-ready education.

“Our students are growing up in a world where AI is the future – and so they need to be masters of it.” continued Mr Ayres. “We are preparing them not only to thrive in that world but to shape it.”

Replacing Traditional Tutors

With this national award, Westbourne is now working to make its AI-powered tools available to other schools across the UK, helping bridge the gap between elite education and equitable access to world-class learning technology.

The school believes its model – blending academic excellence, digital innovation, and global collaboration – will serve as a blueprint for the next generation of British education policy.

“KnowVa Coach, and the technology behind it, is set to revolutionise the education space”, explained Mr Ayres. “In the UK, parents spend an average of £2,750 per child annually on private tuition to boost their understanding of a certain topic. KnowVa Coach completely eliminates this need, supporting the student on a personalised level to think more deeply about what they are studying.

After a successful launch with our students here at Westbourne, we are now working on supporting other schools to use this game-changing technology, so that more students can benefit and see higher grades.”

What Students Say

“KnowVa Coach makes it really easy to revise. It uses Socratic questioning, which pulls questions related to the topic to expand your answer and knowledge, and it shows you what a perfect answer to the question looks like. I’m using KnowVa Coach for Computer Science, and we also have it for Business Management as well. It really helps you deepen your knowledge in core areas.” (Westbourne Sixth Form Student)

“It’s very simple to use and is really useful because it truly prompts you to say as much as you can on that topic. KnowVa Coach pushes you, saying ‘Can you comment further on this?’ It helps my brain make connections between themes and questions. It works especially well for me as I don’t like studying in isolation, on my own. Having the AI there saying, ‘Oh, you did this really well’, or ‘You could try that better’ is motivating you to keep going.” (Westbourne Sixth Form Student)

“KnowVa Coach is really helping me to revise for my IB exams. It provokes me to think more and to delve into all the details. KnowVa Coach works with a pool of IB resources, so it directly uses IB materials and past papers and mark schemes. I know that the information is valid and can be trusted, moreso than the Internet, for example, which always needs to be checked.” (Westbourne Sixth Form Student)