Identifying and celebrating excellence in education

Every year, all 29,000 schools across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are invited to nominate their most outstanding school governors, headteachers, teachers and teaching assistants. Anyone, parents, pupils, colleagues, governors, can make a nomination online at www.teachingawards.com. Nominations must then be endorsed by a member of the senior management team to proceed to the next stage. Nominations are assessed by members of a local judging panel against a set of criteria. Each finalist is visited in their school by two or more awards panel members. Finalists who move on to the next stage of the process will receive an invitation to their local awards ceremony and seminar in June. Every Teaching Award winner is then invited to attend a Teaching Awards fellows' weekend, part of which includes the UK ceremony which is televised by the BBC as a showcase of excellence in education.

The Teaching Awards presents 7 ceremonies each year in the English regions, Wales and Northern Ireland. Teaching Awards are presented to selected finalists in front of 200 invited guests at each event. The ceremonies offer a unique opportunity to meet and communicate with teachers, teaching assistants and governors on a very special day dedicated to celebrating the achievements of schools and education professionals.

The 7 local awards panels include members of the local education community and each one is chaired by a leading figure in education. The 350 judges work on a voluntary basis and judging is an independent and peer-led process. The majority of the panel members are practising teachers and many are Teaching Award winners. Awards panels represent organisations from across the educational spectrum including teaching unions, parent-governor associations, faith schools, the media and our sponsors. Baroness Williams of Crosby (pictured) is the Chair of the Teaching Awards UK panel of judges.