THE Telegraph & Argus Schools Awards were set up to recognise the huge amount of hard work going on in the education sector throughout the district - and those who do it.

Although as a newspaper we strive to highlight great work being done in and by our schools as often as possible, much of their efforts can often go unrecognised.

So what we set out to do, with the help of our partners Bradford Council and the University of Bradford, was to put schools in the spotlight and to honour the best and brightest that Bradford’s education system has to offer through our annual Schools Awards.

Every year we ask for people to nominate inspiring figures in the education sector in 12 different categories.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Schools Awards Nominations

When the Telegraph & Argus decided to create the awards three years ago, we weren’t sure what the response would be. Although there was plenty to celebrate in Bradford’s schools, we didn’t know if teaching staff and parents, people who already have plenty on their plate, would take the time to nominate teachers, schools and staff.

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But the response to the first Schools Awards was even greater than we hoped.

Nominations flooded in for every category, and rather than worrying about having enough candidates to make a shortlist, the biggest challenge came in making a shortlist for each category.

Each year we have been inundated with nominations, and creating a shortlist of just three per category has proved very difficult.

In a time of increasing fragmentation in schools, with an ever growing number of academies and free schools that aren’t under council control, it was particularly heartening to see nominations and winners that reflected every different type of school.

And when we added the new category of Governor of the Year for this past year’s awards we were delighted with the amount of nominations we received.

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The category returns this year, allowing governors to be recognised alongside teachers, school leaders, volunteers and businesses that work with schools.

At the T&A, we know that education in Bradford is far from perfect and we are duty bound to report on the times when schools or results are not as good as they might be. But it is just as important that the great things happening in our schools every day are recognised.

This is where you come in. We want our readers - be you parents, teachers, heads, governors, or really anyone who has any contact with schools - to let us know the great things being done in education in the district.

Nominations could be, for instance, for a teacher who has helped your child learn to love going to school, for a head who has turned a failing school around, or for a school that strives to make its local community a better place to live.

The categories encompass the full scope of work being done in schools.

Not every school in the district shouts its achievements from the rooftops, but with the help of your nominations we hope that we are able to do just that for many of them. Now is the time to show Bradford’s schools - and the staff and volunteers that make them such important parts of our community - just how much we appreciate them.

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