Anson Primary School in Cricklewood has been crowned the winner of Leyland’s Big School Makeover competition, securing £5,000 to spend at Leyland to help transform its learning environment.
The North London school topped a public vote after thousands of Londoners backed their local schools, highlighting the strong community spirit behind the initiative.
The initiative, now going into its fourth year, invites schools across London to nominate themselves for a chance to improve their facilities. The 2025 competition attracted hundreds of nominations and more than 13,000 votes. Anson Primary School received the highest number of votes – just under 3,000 – highlighting the strong support it enjoys from its community.
Two additional schools were also recognised in the competition: South London’s La Retraite Roman Catholic School for Girls and North London’s Brunswick Park Primary School were named runners-up, each receiving £2,500 to spend on Leyland products to support improvements to their learning environments.
Leyland has long been part of the fabric of London’s neighbourhoods, helping generations of tradespeople, homeowners and community groups keep the capital’s homes, schools and local spaces looking their best. With 36 stores across the city, the company supplies decorating materials to professionals and DIY customers alike, while supporting local initiatives that bring communities together – including its annual charitable Big School Makeover competition.
CEO of Leyland, Martin Hastings, said the company takes particular pride in supporting the communities in which it operates and working with local schools; “Community engagement is a huge part of Leyland’s ethos. We operate throughout London and like to think of ourselves as a pillar of every community, so nothing pleases me more than getting involved with local schools and making sure we’re doing what we can to give young people the best opportunities in life.”
He added that the company hopes the project will help give the school a refreshed environment for its pupils, helping create inspired spaces for learning and “providing the best facilities for the next generation coming through.”
Anson Primary School first discovered the competition through social media and quickly recognised the opportunity it presented to connect with the wider community. Headteacher Simon Pile said entering felt like a natural way to both promote the school and bring people together.
“We thought it would be a fantastic way of promoting the school and engaging with the community.” He added; “When we found out the school had been shortlisted, we announced it in assembly and the reaction was amazing – the staff, children and parents were so excited.”
That enthusiasm soon translated into votes, with the school community rallying behind the campaign and helping Anson Primary secure the top spot.
The prize funding will make a meaningful difference to the school, which faces ongoing maintenance challenges due to the age of its buildings. Parts of the site date back to 1952, with later extensions added during the 1990s and early 2000s.
“We’re keen to use some of the prize money to deal with some of the health and safety issues posed by the age of the buildings,” said Pile. “The remainder of the budget will support a new curriculum approach aligned with the school’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.”
Alongside these improvements, the school also plans to invest in new learning opportunities focused on sustainability and environmental awareness. Plans include creating an outdoor learning area where pupils can explore topics such as sustainability, climate change and food production through a “field to fork” approach.
Pile added: “The support from Leyland means that my school budget can be focused on teaching and learning. It means we can focus on our vision while maintaining our site to high standards.” Following another successful year and strong public engagement, Leyland has confirmed that the Big School Makeover competition will return again later this year, giving even more schools the opportunity to transform their learning environments with the support of their communities
