Ten schools from across London have been named as finalists in Leyland’s Big School Makeover 2026, with pupils, parents, staff and local communities now being urged to rally behind their school ahead of a public vote to decide this year’s winners.
Now in its fourth year, Leyland’s annual community campaign will see three schools share a £10,000 prize pot to help transform and improve their learning environments. The winning school will receive £5,000 worth of Leyland products, with two runners-up each receiving £2,500.
The ten schools through to the final are:
- Cayley Primary School
- Chelwood Nursery School
- Fleet Primary School
- Golborne & Maxilla Nursery School
- Hampden Gurney C of E Primary School
- Lift Richmond Park
- Oratory RC Primary School
- Christ Church (Brondesbury) C of E Primary School
- College Park School
- Raey Primary School
The finalists were selected following an open nomination process, with schools and their communities invited to demonstrate how a Big School Makeover could make a difference to their pupils and wider school community.
Now, the decision is in the hands of the public. Voting opened Monday 19 October and closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 15 November, with the school receiving the most votes crowned the 2026 winner. The two schools with the next highest number of votes will be named runners-up.
Leyland is encouraging each finalist school to get behind the campaign and rally their pupils, parents, staff, governors and local communities to show their support and help bring home a share of the £10,000 prize pot.
Martin Hastings, CEO of Leyland, said: “A huge congratulations to our ten finalists – reaching this stage is a fantastic achievement, and we’re really looking forward to seeing the communities behind each school get involved.
“The Big School Makeover is all about bringing people together and giving schools the opportunity to make a real difference to their learning environments. We’ve seen the incredible community spirit behind this campaign in previous years, and we’re expecting this year’s public vote to be just as exciting.
“Now it’s over to the schools and their communities to rally behind their finalists and get voting!”
The impact of last year’s competition demonstrated just what can be achieved when schools and their communities come together with Leyland support. Anson Primary School in Cricklewood was crowned the 2025 winner after receiving just under 3,000 votes, with more than 13,000 votes cast overall. The school secured £5,000 worth of Leyland products to help address maintenance challenges linked to its ageing buildings, while also supporting its plans to develop sustainability-focused learning opportunities.
Headteacher Simon Pile said the competition was “a fantastic way of promoting the school and engaging with the community,”adding that the funding and support from Leyland meant the school could focus its budget on teaching and learning.
South London’s La Retraite Roman Catholic School for Girls and North London’s Brunswick Park Primary School were also named runners-up, each receiving £2,500 to spend at Leyland.
With 36 stores across London, Leyland has long been part of the fabric of the capital’s neighbourhoods, supplying decorating and DIY products to tradespeople, homeowners and community groups. Through initiatives such as the Big School Makeover, the company continues to invest in the places and people that make up the communities it serves.
Voting is open as of Monday 19 October and closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 15 November. To find out more and cast a vote, visit leylandsdm.co.uk/bigschoolmakeover
