CELEBRATING SUCCESS
DURING THE 2023/2024 ACADEMIC YEAR
Awards Sponsored by
Welcome to the south wales Schools & Education awards 2024
Newsquest Wales is proud to announce the sixth annual
Schools & Education Awards
The awards – which will be promoted across our titles including the South Wales Argus, Barry & District News, Penarth Times and the Free Press Series – will celebrate those who have given there all in the past year.
It continues to be challenging for our education sector. While working flat out to help learners catch up from the impact of Covid lockdowns, we have been hit by a cost of living crisis.
This has not only hit those working in the sector directly but also adds an additional complexity for many of the children they work with, as simply providing for basic needs becomes harder for many families.
We know our schools, colleges and universities are filled with heroes who are committed to helping give people a better foundation for life. These awards will celebrate them and the organisations they work for.
I hope to see you all there on the night, and to read about you in print and online in the coming months.
Gavin Thompson – Regional Editor Newsquest Wales
Sponsorship available in 2024
Kelly McFlynn
Head of Events
If you would like more information on the opportunities available, please contact myself on 07342071742 or via email kelly.mcflynn@localiq.co.uk
Raise your profile by sponsoring our awards in 2024
"Take a look at some of our 2023 Winners"
Award Categories & Sponsors
School of the Year
The winner of this award will be selected from the winner of Primary or Secondary School of the year and will be the overall winner on the evening.
Private or Independent School of the Year
This will be awarded to the private or independent school which has, in the opinion of the judges, excelled in the past year over a range of factors such as academic achievement, attendance levels, parent engagement, providing a positive learning environment and helping children to flourish and raise their aspirations. When filling in your nomination please include relevant information such as key points from any recent Estyn reports for the school, improvements made and any other positive changes in the past year, how the school has adapted and thrived in the face of recent challenges, how children have been supported to feel safe and secure back in the learning environment, how the school works with parents and carers, how the school works in partnership with businesses and others to provide opportunities for children.
Above and Beyond Award
This award will be awarded in recognition of a person or a group of people who have commitment to going that “extra mile”. When nominating for this award, please think about how this person or group has gone above and beyond, such as helping a child fit in or overcome challenges or tragedy, supporting their local community or their peers, and the difference them going the extra mile has made to others.
Teaching Assistant of the Year
An award for a teaching assistant, who always gives exceptional support and make a real difference to pupils’ learning through their work. When filling in your nomination, you might want to think about any examples where their extra help has made a real difference to a child, what progress pupils they work with, have made, any praise from Estyn or other bodies for their work, what the teachers they work with say about them, any extracurricular activities they support and how they make children feel about school and learning. Remember to include details of where they teach.
PTA of the Year
This award recognises how much PTA’s do for schools and the school community. This award recognises outstanding fundraising achievement by PTAs, and/or a project or activity that specifically engages the school with the wider community. When filling in your nomination please include relevant information such as the school and information about the PTA committee. Please tell us about the events, projects, activities or fundraising that the PTA have excelled at and how they have adapted and thrived in the face of recent challenges. We want to hear how the PTA have had a positive impact on the school and wider community.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award is for a member of the school community who has shown a commitment to the sector over decades rather than just years. It could be for a leader, teacher, or member of support staff. When submitting your nomination, please explain why they should win the award, considering things such as examples of the difference they have made to you or others, details of their career and the roles they have had, including how long they have been in education, how parents/children or other staff feel about them.
Special Education Needs (SENCO) Award
This award will go to a teacher, department or organisation providing exceptional support for those with special educational needs or disabilities. When submitting your nomination, you might want to give examples where this person, department or organisation has made a different to you or others, tell us how long they have been doing the role, what their key achievements are and what pupils and staff think about them and the work that they do. Please remember to include details of where they work and their job.
College or University of the Year
This will be awarded to the college or university which has, in the opinion of the judges, excelled in the past year over a range of factors such as academic achievement, attendance levels, parent engagement, providing a positive learning environment and helping children to flourish and raise their aspirations. When filling in your nomination please include relevant information such as key points from any recent Estyn reports for the school, improvements made and any other positive changes in the past year, how the school has adapted and thrived in the face of recent challenges, how children have been supported to feel safe and secure back in the learning environment, how the school works with parents and carers, how the school works in partnership with businesses and others to provide opportunities for children.
Head Teacher of the Year
This award will go to an inspirational head teacher who has shown exceptional leadership, management, teaching skills and commitment to their school or college. When filling in your nomination, you might want to consider what changes they have made to the school, have they set out a clear vision and ethos, are they a role model and how, have standards improved under their leadership and how do they make pupils and staff and the school feel? Remember to include which school they work at and how long they have been there.
Primary Teacher of the Year
This award will recognise a teacher who inspires and engages students to fulfil their potential and makes an exceptional contribution to the life of their school. When filling in your nomination, you might want to consider how they inspire and engage with pupils, how imaginative they are in their teaching, any special projects they have set the class, what they have done to help their pupils to make progress, whether they have given support to children to overcome challenges or dealt with difficult situations, or just how they make their pupils feel about going to school.
Primary School of the year
This will be awarded to the primary school which has, in the opinion of the judges, excelled in the past year over a range of factors such as academic achievement, attendance levels, parent engagement, providing a positive learning environment and helping children to flourish. When filling in your nomination please include relevant information such as key points from any recent Estyn reports for the school, improvements made and any other positive changes in the past year, how the school has adapted and thrived in the face of recent challenges, how children have been supported to feel safe and secure back in the learning environment and how the schoolwork’s with parents and carers.
Secondary School of the year
This will be awarded to the secondary school which has, in the opinion of the judges, excelled in the past year over a range of factors such as academic achievement, attendance levels, parent engagement, providing a positive learning environment and helping children to flourish and raise their aspirations. When filling in your nomination please include relevant information such as key points from any recent Estyn reports for the school, improvements made and any other positive changes in the past year, how the school has adapted and thrived in the face of recent challenges, how children have been supported to feel safe and secure back in the learning environment, how the school works with parents and carers, how the school works in partnership with businesses and others to provide opportunities for children.
STEM Project of the Year
We want to hear about primary, secondary and higher education students STEM projects in science, technology, engineering and maths related areas. These could be projects completed in school time, extra-curricular clubs or as part of a trip or external delivery. We want to hear how you have promote STEM and engage students in science-related activities, what they have learnt and how they have gone on to implement these skills. When filling in your nomination please include relevant information such as the school, year group and project details. We are keen to know how you engaged the students along with key achievements.
Secondary School Teacher of the Year
This award will recognise a teacher who inspires and engages students to fulfil their potential and who makes an exceptional contribution to the life of their school. When filling in your nomination, you might want to think about how this teacher inspires and engages pupils in their subject, whether children they teach have made progress over and above what had been expected, whether they have been praised by Estyn inspectors or others, any extracurricular activities they help with and how they have helped pupils to raise their aspirations and want to achieve more. Remember to include details of what they teach and where.
Gallery
View our gallery from previous awards.
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