Awards will recognise school staff

The Awards were started to mark the vital contribution that teaching staff make to our community

Nominations are flooding in naming the teachers, support staff, volunteers, and teams who deserve special recognition for their efforts.

Winners will be invited to a glittering awards dinner and ceremony staged at the four-star Mercure Brighton Seafront Hotel in June.

Simon Dolby, chairman of the judging panel and chief executive officer of School Inspirational Services, the charity behind the awards, said: “We have been overwhelmed by people’s enthusiasm.

“This is the awards’ first year in Sussex and we have had so many more nominations than we expected.

“They have been of such a high standard, too. We’ve been working with schools for 20 years, delivering road safety and literacy projects, and we are still constantly amazed by teachers’ dedication to their job.

“The same goes for non-teaching staff – the volunteers who give up their time to help children learn to read, the bursars and secretaries who keep the whole school running smoothly, the caretakers who fix things before anyone even notices they’re broken.

“I really want to stress that last part – these awards are about recognising the contribution of everyone who works in a school.

“We have had nominations so far for everyone from senior staff to support workers, from small infant schools to multi-academy trusts – and that’s what we want to achieve, recognition across the board.”

There is still time for organisations to get on board with the event and join the judging panel.

They will be in good company – the awards are already supported by Sussex Newspapers, East Sussex County Council, 3D Recruit Education, Kreston Reeves, KCS, and the Best Western York House Hotel in Eastbourne.

Nominations for awards can be submitted by members of the public and schools until the deadline of noon on Thursday, April 12.

For more information, or to nominate someone visit www.sussexteacheroftheyear.co.uk.

Businesses interested in supporting this year’s awards should contact Simon Dolby at [email protected]

Find out about School Inspirational Services, which works with schools across the south east to improve pupils’ health and wellbeing, at www.schoolinspirationalservices.co.uk.

Benefit from an ongoing discount on your Eastbourne Herald by joining our voucher membership scheme. Once you’ve subscribed we’ll send you dated vouchers which can be exchanged for your paper at any news outlet. To save money on your Herald simply click here (www.localsubsplus.co.uk)