We’re pleased to introduce the brand new Teach Portsmouth Awards Live, a new digital awards ceremony for Portsmouth’s teachers, support teams and leaders on Thursday 11 March 2021.
While we had hoped to celebrate at Portsmouth Guildhall, continued uncertainty over face to face events makes holding an in-person ceremony impossible. After consulting with local stakeholders, the safest way to recognise colleagues is to hold an all-digital event to recognise everyone’s efforts this year.
What’s happening?
The Teach Portsmouth Awards have moved online. Stakeholders from across Portsmouth were in agreement that an awards ceremony should still go ahead despite the pandemic. We believe we can deliver an awards ceremony that Portsmouth will be proud of in an all-new digital format. There will be a new host who will lead the event and new ways for virtual attendees to engage and have fun. Those in attendance will need a Zoom video conferencing account which is free to sign up and download.
We’ve also updated our list of award categories. For the first time, we are introducing a people’s choice award, allowing the general public to nominate a Portsmouth-based teacher, support team or leader from a local school or college who has gone above and beyond to help the community during COVID-19.
What are the award categories?
Based on feedback from partners, we’ve introduced a brand new award category: the people’s choice award. For the first time, members of the general public will be able to nominate a teacher, support team or leader who has gone above and beyond during the pandemic. In total, there are 9 award categories:
Unsung hero award
This award celebrates the members of the whole school community who rarely get a mention and are never in the limelight but who are invaluable to the school and who have a record of outstanding contributions. Nominations should outline the contribution that the nominee makes to the school and the impact of their work.
Long service award
This award is to celebrate the staff in our schools who have served in Portsmouth for 20 years or more, providing outstanding service during this time. All nominated staff will receive an award for this achievement. Nominations for the long service award closed earlier this year. Colleagues who have submitted long service award nominations but plan to complete other award categories will have their submissions combined.
Innovation in teaching award
This award goes to those staff (individuals or teams) who have developed new approaches / innovative practices that has had a positive impact on teaching and learning. Nominations should include a short description on the approaches they took and outline how this impacted student life.
Creativity award
This award goes to those staff (individuals or teams) who have developed new approaches / adapted teaching methods that go beyond the conventional curriculum, which support creative thinking and provide opportunities for all pupils to expand their creativity. Nominations should include a short description of the approaches used and outline how this has affected student life.
Inclusion and diversity award
Inclusion is a strength of many of the schools in the city. We have some amazing Inclusion Teams who embed inclusive practice on a day to day basis as part of their roles. This award celebrates the work of those staff (individuals or teams) through implementing a strategy over time or working on a particular project, which has made a difference to inclusive practice and celebrating diversity. Nomination should include an outline of the project / strategy and outline how it has affected pupils, staff and the wider school community from one of more of the protected characteristics:
- SEN or Disability including SEMH
- Gender Reassignment
- Race
- Religion or Belief
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
Community and collaboration award
This award is to celebrate the work of teams or an individual in the school that has made a significant impact on the local community. Nominations should include an outline of the work done and how it has affected the community. Nominations in this category should be supported by a brief testimony from the community.
Partnership award
The partnership award criteria requires two organisations or partners who have worked together on a project or initiative. This is different from the Community and Collaboration Award as this award highlights an individual or small team who have made a difference in their organisation and have not worked with a third party.
Outstanding contribution award
This award recognises the sustained and substantial impact of the nominee on the education of children and young people in Portsmouth. Nominations should include a short outline of the career of the nominee and the difference that they have made over time. For this category, the nominee’s careers may include work beyond Portsmouth with no specific “length of service restriction” but the panel will be looking for significant impact on education in Portsmouth.
People’s choice award
The people’s choice award is a new category that highlights the efforts of teachers, support workers, teams and leaders who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. This is the only award category that allows members of the wider public who are not teachers to nominate an education professional in a Portsmouth school or college.
With the exception of the people’s choice award, a senior colleague in each school/college/organisation should complete the online nomination form including a supporting statement of up to 200 words. The closing date for all nominations is Wednesday 13 January. Once nominations have been collated, they will be sent to a shortlisting panel made up of local education partners and stakeholders.
Nominate colleagues now!
