Everyone remembers the teacher who believed in them.
In classrooms, lecture halls and nurseries across the UK, educators change lives every day, mostly without anyone noticing until years later.
The Education Excellence Awards exist to recognise the teachers, leaders, support staff and settings whose teaching, care and innovation help every learner succeed.
Early mornings.
Late marking.
Finally, recognised.
Education shapes everyone. Educators are rarely thanked.
A teacher who stayed after school every week so a pupil could catch up.
A headteacher who turned a struggling school into one families queue for.
A teaching assistant who is the reason a child comes to school at all.
A college that helped hundreds of adults into better jobs.
A nursery where every child is known and loved.
Educators spend every day believing in other people.
This time the belief is in them.
“We saw what you did.”
“Thank you.”
From the first day to graduation.
Teachers, lecturers, leaders, support staff, schools, colleges, early years settings, trusts and providers.
The Teacher
Whose lessons pupils remember.
The Leader
Building a school where everyone thrives.
The Rising Star
Early in a career and already outstanding.
The Support Staff
Helping every learner keep up.
The School
A place pupils are proud to belong to.
Know an educator who deserves to be seen?
Four ways to be recognised.
Education People
Teachers, headteachers, rising stars, teaching assistants, lecturers, SEND champions and school business leaders.
Schools, Colleges and Providers
Schools of every phase, colleges, early years settings, training providers and trusts.
Teaching, Learning and Innovation
Innovation, STEM, inclusion, wellbeing, community and careers.
People and Standards
Education employers and professional development.
Recognition that lifts the whole community.
Pride for the setting
Something every member of staff can be proud of.
Confidence for families
Independent recognition parents can see.
Staff attraction
Great educators want to join settings that are recognised.
Connections
Meet education leaders from across the UK.
You do not need to be a big school.
Judges consider the size and context of the setting, so a small village school can win against a large trust.
No pupil or student is ever named or identifiable in an entry.
Figures can be given as percentages or ranges.
The difference you make matters more than the size of the setting.
The question isn't:
“Is our school big enough?”
A better question might be:
“Is our teaching making a difference?”
Recognition only counts when it is earned fairly.
The value of an award depends on the integrity behind it, so the way entries are judged should be clear before anyone enters.
Free to enter
Nominating and entering cost nothing. No category depends on buying a ticket, a table or a package.
Independent judging
Entries are scored by an independent panel, not by the organisers, working under a confidentiality agreement.
Read moreConflicts managed
Judges declare any conflict of interest and stand aside from the entries it touches.
Read moreSponsors support the awards. They never decide the results.
The best educators never put themselves forward.
They say:
“It is just part of the job.”
“The pupils did the hard work.”
“The whole staff did it.”
And sometimes that is exactly why somebody else needs to say:
“They made the difference.”
“They deserve to be recognised.”
If you work with a teacher, leader or setting like that, put their name forward. It takes a minute.
From a name to the night itself.
Discover
Find the award category that fits the achievement best.
Nominate
Put forward a colleague, a team, a setting or your own school.
Tell the story
Share what was achieved, and the difference it made.
Judging
Eligible entries are judged against the published criteria.
Recognition
Finalists and winners are celebrated at the awards.
Education is how futures begin.
Every classroom has a story.
Every setting has a moment.