Competitions
Schools Awards
The awards are to recognise achievement and excellence in the region.
There are 2 main types of awards:
1. There are 5 awards that recognise the individuals within a school who have really made a difference to the pupils. These might be inspirational teachers who make learning exciting and relevant encouraging the children to reach their full potential. Classroom Assistants, support staff or caretakers who make a difference to the children and the school through their enthusiasm and commitment. Head teachers, whose guidance and leadership has helped create a dynamic learning environment, where the pupils are happy and encouraged to reach their full potential.
2. There are 5 awards for projects that are carried out within the school, its grounds or community. The projects can either be on going or an idea for the coming academic year. They can be carried out by a class, year group or even a whole school. The categories for the project awards are School Newspaper Award, Environment Award, Healthy Living Award, Sustainable School Award and Active Community Awards. These projects cover the areas of Enterprise, Citizenship, Sustainability, Healthy Schools and Environment.
The main emphasis for both types of awards are that the entries must be pupil led.
Entries can be made by submitting a scrapbook, a DVD, video, CD ROM, project book, models, etc. The entries need to be completed by pupils who have been involved in the project.
Category: Environment award
Sponsor:
Eligibility: Class or whole school
Focus: For this category the judges will be looking for a project that improves some aspect of the environment in or around the school. It could be creating or improving a wildlife area, a pond, a garden or even a vegetable patch, creating a quiet area or a study area. It might be an area already in existence but in need of improvement or a patch of land that needs renovating.
We would like you to put forward your ideas of the design, using drawings, models etc. Plan what you would like to see in it. Think carefully about what needs including in the area e.g. places for wildlife, bug dens, quiet corner, pond, sensory garden, vegetable patch, comfy cushions, etc.
The project needs to be achievable and something you are definitely doing or are going to do if you obtain the funds.
Award: Cheque to put towards your environmental area
Category: Sustainable school award
Sponsor:
Eligibility: Class or whole school
Focus: For this category the judges will be looking at how the whole school has made or is making changes to become more sustainable. These might be changes made by the efforts of one class, the whole school or an Eco committee.
We would like to see how you have managed to raise awareness and instigate changes within the school, e.g. using poster campaigns, research, setting up Eco committees, class environmental champions, presentations, etc.
This category is quite broad but for instance some of the areas you could consider are:
- Water conservation e.g. water audits, fitting water saving devices, water conservation campaigns.
- Energy conservation e.g. energy audits energy conservation campaigns.
- Walking buses/transport e.g. encouraging safe ways to come to school that don’t involve the car.
- Recycling e.g. paper recycling in class rooms, can and plastic recycling schemes, litter picks and no litter campaigns.
Award: Cheque to put towards helping your school become more sustainable.
Category: Healthy living award
Sponsor:
Eligibility: Class or whole school
Focus: For this category the judges will be looking how the pupils themselves are having healthier lifestyles, e.g. by exercising more, drinking water, eating healthy foods, having antibullying/drug campaigns or growing vegetables to use in the kitchen. These might be changes instigated by the whole school or just one class.
We would like to see how you have managed to raise awareness and instigate changes within the school, e.g. using poster campaigns, try a new activity/food session, water being readily available throughout the day, setting up buddy systems, etc.
Award: Cheque to put towards helping your pupils become healthier.
Category: Active Community
Sponsor:
Eligibility: Class or whole school
Focus: For this category the judges will be looking at how the pupils are actively involved in helping their local communities e.g. by visiting their local old people, holding coffee mornings in the school, raising money for their local communities, etc.
We would like to see how you have put citizenship into practice by encouraging awareness of diversity and how involvement in your local communities has bought benefits to the community and the pupils.
Award: Cheque to put towards something for the school.
Thoughts on the awards ceremony
Have the pupils themselves doing a one or two minute presentation on why they think their teacher, head, classroom assistant etc. is the best. Or what their project involved. Another alternative is to have the compere “interview” pupils about why they nominated the individual.
Provide boards for each finalist to put up a display about their project or special person to give everyone an opportunity to see what each other has done.
Digital pictures on a large display screen showing each project as its being talked about and to give an overall impression of the school. Possibly as the backdrop to the stage.
Goodie bags – possibility for sponsors to put in some promotional bits.
The Northumbrian Water School Awards
This proposal provides the basis for discussion with the title sponsor on the proposal to establish annual School awards in the region.
The Journal will work with Northumbrian Water to promote and celebrate the quality of schools in our region. Our aim is to bring greater public awareness to the first class work that is going on in schools in the North East.
The aim of the awards would be to add value to the achievements of schools in the North East. The judges will focus on curriculum-based projects in order to shortlist entries in all categories.
The Daily Mail’s, Scotland’s School Awards have become an established and highly valued annual celebration of class/whole school achievement in the region with a focus on community activity as well as individual excellence from teachers, pupils and many more.
The Awards
Our current thinking is to build a set of recognised awards for Schools in the North East, which, over a three-year period, would become recognised as a stamp of quality and achievement.
The Awards aim to become an accolade, which schools and individuals are proud to quote in their CVs and promotional material.
The awards would cover both community and curriculum based projects and will honor whole schools, classes and individuals.
The awards will take the form of a formal lunch followed by an awards ceremony. It will showcase the work of all the finalists using AV. The award categories are:
School Newspaper Award
Open to all schools and colleges which produce a newspaper between September 2006 and April 2007. To qualify organisations must produce a publication, which contains relevant news for their audience, and at least one page must feature the value of water
Inspirational Teacher in a Primary School
For a teacher in a nursery, first or primary school who goes the extra mile to give children the best start in their education.
Inspirational Teacher in a Secondary School
For a teacher in a middle, high, secondary school or further education college who goes above and beyond the call of duty to get the best out of their children, regardless of ability.
Caretaker of the Year
For a caretaker or janitor whose dedication makes him an invaluable member of the school community.
Classroom Assistant of the Year
For a teaching assistant or any other support staff who make a real difference to individual children, classes or the whole school.
Headteacher of the Year
For an outstanding school leader.
Environment Award
For a project that improves some aspect of the environment inside the school or outside in the school grounds. It could be creating or improving a wildlife area, a pond, a garden or even a vegetable patch or quiet study area. It might be already in existence but in need of improvement.
Sustainable School Award
The whole school had made or is making changes to become more sustainable. These might be changes made by the efforts of one class, the whole school or eco-committee.
Healthy Living Award
For a class or whole school which makes it a priority to have healthy lifestyles. This could be by exercising more, drinking more water, eating healthy foods, having an anti-bullying campaign or growing vegetables to use in the kitchen.
Active Community
For a class or whole school who have pupil who actively help out in their local community. Examples could be visiting old people, holding coffee mornings in the school, raising money for their local community.