Call to enter Pearson National Teaching Awards

Teachers are being urged to enter their most inspirational colleagues for the Pearson National Teaching Awards, which recognise and celebrate excellence in education on a UK-wide basis.
 
The call from teachers previously recognised at the Awards, televised by the BBC as ‘Britain’s Classroom Heroes’, comes as the deadline for the awards is only a few weeks away. Entry is free, and the awards are open to all state and independent schools and FE colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Entries close at midnight on Friday 28th February 2020.
 
This is a great opportunity for schools to celebrate excellence, and to recognise those colleagues who regularly go above and beyond their role to ensure their pupils get the best possible start in life.
 
The Awards are an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, founded in 1998 by Lord Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people they teacher. Winning an award is a triumph not just for the individual winner, but for their colleagues, their pupils, and their wider community.
 
Keith Berry, Gold Award winner for Lifetime Achievement, headteacher at Park Community Academy said: “I have never sought or needed recognition from the many pupils and families I have worked with over the years - I genuinely felt that the privilege was always mine. It was only after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award that I realised just how proud the children were that one of their teachers from their school had received a national award.
 
“The children lived every moment as they watched the BBC TV highlights in our assembly, clapping and cheering along as though they were present at the ceremony themselves. It was a truly magical moment to gain their unreserved and unprompted recognition. It was an especially proud moment for me personally.  

“I am sure many of the children who attend the 2019 Silver and Gold Award winning schools, will remember and look back with pride themselves in their post school years. While teaching will always throw up many challenges on a day to day basis, and we have to be prepared to make sacrifices, the rewards far, far outweigh the sacrifices.”

To enter, click here