SOME of Bradford’s most inspiring teachers and school staff will this week come together to celebrate the good work being done in the district’s schools.

The Telegraph & Argus Schools Awards ceremony has become one of the highlights of the academic year, and this year is proving to be no different.

Now in their fourth year, the awards were created as a way of giving recognition to teachers, support staff, leaders, volunteers and governors who work to improve education standards in Bradford.

Along with civic leaders, higher education heads and colleagues, over 300 people are expected at the event, being held on Thursday at the Aagrah Midpoint in Thornbury. They will hear who are the deserving winners in the 12 varied categories.

Although this will only be the fourth time the event has been held, the Schools Awards have fast become a major fixture in the district.

Deciding that Bradford’s schools and staff did not always get the recognition they deserved, the idea was hatched to start an awards event celebrating the good work in the district.

The T&A asked the public to send in nominations in a wide variety of categories, and the response was very enthusiastic.

The inaugural event was held in March 2014, and although there was no precedent for how it would go, the evening proved to be a huge success.

The event was organised in partnership with the University of Bradford and Bradford Council, who are again the main sponsors this year, as a way of shining a light on the everyday successes of local schools, successes that are often overlooked when it comes to league tables.

Each year local colleges and businesses step forward to sponsor the different awards, which range from support staff member of the year to school improvement.

Nominations come from a wide variety of people, from parents, to colleagues to governors, and nominees for the 12 categories reflect the diversity of the district’s education facilities.

Over the years, some of the prizes have gone to individuals who have been recognised for their work to improve the lives of pupils, while others went to entire schools or teams.

This year, like in other years, the audience will watch a video for each of the 36 nominees, explaining why they have been nominated and featuring comments from pupils and colleagues.

Last year the Governor of the Year category was added to the awards, shining a light on work that is mostly done out of the public view but is vital to making a school successful.

This year saw a record number of nominations, making it difficult to come up with a shortlist of three nominees per category, let alone pick a winner.

The 2017 Schools Awards event starts at 6.30pm on Thursday, and will be presented by Charlotte Leeming, of BBC Look North.

To follow the ceremony on Twitter, use the hashtag #bfdschoolawards Results will go online shortly after the awards finish, and will be featured in Saturday’s paper. A full supplement detailing all the winners will be published the following week.