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The early years of a child’s life are the foundations for lifelong learning and development.
This award recognises those teams whose inspirational practice has helped transform children’s early learning and development. We are looking for stories that demonstrate the positive impact early years teams have had on an individual child, a group of children, their families, and/or the wider community.
What makes your team stand out over and above what is expected? Addressing the key points provided, tell us in your entry how the dedication and commitment of your early years’ team is making a difference.
Who can enter?
- Teams working in school-based and PVI group-based providers educating children from birth to five, or Foundation Stages 1 and 2.
- All teams entering must operate within the relevant legislative staff:ratios for their age group and setting.
Nominator Guidance
Early Years Team of the Year – Nominator Guidance.
What makes a good entry?
Thank you for taking the time to nominate a team for the Early Years Team of the Year award. Your nomination plays an important role in showing judges the team’s impact.
Awards criteria
A well-structured entry is key. Start with a brief summary that highlights the main reasons for the nomination. Use clear, jargon-free language, and ensure each criterion is addressed thoroughly. Organise the content with headings and sub-headings.
Include details about how the nominee overcomes the most challenging aspects of their role. It’s important that the entry is written by someone who truly knows the nominee, or that the nominator has consulted with those who do.
Evidence and impact
Evidence of impact is the most important aspect of your entry. Our judges look for clear, concise examples that demonstrate the nominee’s impact on students, colleagues, and the broader education community—whether on a regional or national scale. If, for instance, a Headteacher is credited with turning a school around, it’s important to show exactly how this was achieved.
Impact on Learners: Provide specific examples of their direct influence on learners. Highlight practical evidence of high-quality, inspirational teaching that encourages a love of learning and demonstrates excellent classroom skills. For
teaching assistants and school leaders, include evidence of inspirational support, leadership, and creative approaches that engage and motivate both children and staff.
Impact on Colleagues: Describe how the nominee has positively influenced their colleagues. Have they supported others or helped them improve? Consider their role within the staff community beyond the classroom or staffroom. Have they
boosted morale or consistently uplifted those around them in some way? Our judges love hearing about these contributions, no matter how big or small.
Impact on the Wider School Community: Highlight the nominee’s overall contribution to the life of the school and the community.
Wider Impact: Where a nominee has shown impact further afield, locally or nationally, please detail this and the impact of that work.
Personalised details are what make your nominee truly stand out.
Bring the entry to life
Written statements and quotes provide a much more compelling narrative than data – especially comments from parents or pupils whose lives have been positively impacted by the nominee. These are most effective when they reference something specific, for example, ‘Ms X made a huge difference to me when she… the effect this had was …’
Where relevant, you could include supportive quotes from a broad range of sources, such as senior leaders, businesses, health or social care agencies, and local community voices. These perspectives highlight the nominee’s impact beyond the classroom.
It’s essential that someone who knows the nominee well writes the entire entry, not just detailing what they do but also providing specific examples and the impact of their work. Personalisation is key.
That special something
Put simply, if your nominee isn’t shortlisted, what would our judges be missing out on? Share the values and truly unique examples of practice that set your nominee apart—something related to their role that has made a real difference to children’s lives. Our judges are particularly keen to see initiatives or approaches that are unprecedented in the school or unlikely to be found elsewhere, especially when they demonstrate innovation and determination, rather than just long working hours. What makes this nominee a National Award winner, and how could showcasing their exceptional practice inspire and benefit other educators across the UK?
Wider contribution
Highlight how your colleague has made a significant contribution beyond their core responsibilities. Consider areas such as their involvement in extra-curricular activities, community engagement, or initiatives that enhance the wider school environment.
You could examples such as:
- Leading or supporting clubs or events
- Organising or participating in fundraising activities or community outreach programmes or any achievements they have contributed to that reflect their broader impact within the educational community
- Championing eco-friendly initiatives, such as Eco-Schools or sustainability projects or contributing to the development of children through other enrichment activities
Provide clear examples to demonstrate how their efforts have gone above and beyond, enriching the school experience and making a positive impact.
Personal journey and inspiration
To help our judges understand the team as a whole, beyond their role, please share what has shaped their personal and professional journey. Were there key influences from their own education, a significant person, or a defining event in their life? What inspired them to pursue a career in education? Your insight into their motivations and background will help our judges appreciate the individuals behind the educators.
What to avoid when writing your entry?
Data
Unless the criteria specifically request this, although we expect to see some pupil progress or attainment data, or recognition by external agencies to show your nominee’s impact on pupils, our judges prefer this to be kept to a minimum. They carry out due diligence if your entry reaches shortlisting stage. At this point they can obtain data / Ofsted reports.
We want to emphasise the importance of submitting unique, personalised nominations that reflect the individual / team you’re celebrating.
Entries that are not unique
Recently, we’ve noticed that AI-generated or AI-assisted entries often contain repetitive or generic statements that simply echo the criteria without offering real insight. These entries lack the personal touch and specific details that make a
= nomination truly stand out. If you choose to use AI for support, please ensure your entry still reflects your own voice, includes specific examples, and offers personalised evidence or testimonials that highlight the nominee’s unique impact. Remember—it’s the details and authentic stories that truly bring your nominee to life!
Links
You can submit up to 3 additional evidence files along with your written entry. Hyperlinks to other documents, videos, social media etc should be classed as additional evidence and not part of the entry.
Specific guidance for this category
1 Impact
Judges want to understand how the team has made a meaningful difference to children’s lives. You may wish to include:
• Examples of how barriers to learning have been identified and addressed
• Evidence of improved outcomes for individual children or groups
• How the team’s approach supports long-term progress in learning, development and wellbeing
2 Wider positive contribution
This section is about influence beyond day-to-day practice. Consider:
• How the team supports families and strengthens relationships with
parents/carers
• Contributions to the local community or early years sector
• Ways the team promotes wellbeing, inclusion or confidence among families
3 Innovation
Judges are interested in fresh thinking that improves outcomes for children. You could describe:
• New or creative approaches the team has developed or adapted
• How ideas were tested, refined and embedded into practice
• Why these approaches made a real difference for children
4 Partnership working
Strong entries show how the team works effectively with others. You may include:
• Collaboration with parents/carers as true partners in children’s learning
• Work with external professionals or organisations, including those less obvious
• Feedback, comments or short quotes from partners to strengthen your
evidence
General tips for a strong Early Years Team of the Year entry
- Focus on the team, not individuals.
- While individual contributions may be mentioned, judges are looking for evidence of a shared vision, collaboration and collective impact.
- Be specific and evidence-based. Use real examples, short case studies or moments that bring the team’s work to life. Avoid general statements without explanation.
- Show impact over time. Explain how the team’s work has led to sustained improvements in children’s learning, development and wellbeing, particularly for those facing barriers.
Judges will ask themselves
- What makes this team stand out from others working in early years?
- How do they go above and beyond to support children and families?
- What evidence shows that their impact is meaningful, sustained and shared?
- What is the team’s unique selling point?
You can download this information here
Award Criteria
Please address each of these points in your entry, under the following headings
Impact
How has the team positively impacted the life of an individual child, or group of children by overcoming barriers to their learning? Describe the difference the team has made and outline the qualities that assure meaningful, lasting progress in children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
Wider positive contribution
Tell us how the team’s persistence, enthusiasm, and expertise has had a positive impact on the lives of local families and/or the local community. Give examples of ways the team has engaged with and contributed to an improved sense of well-being for those around them.
Innovation
Share examples and describe how your team has used their creativity to bring fresh ideas and new ways of doing things to help children achieve their full potential and make a difference.
Partnership working
Tell us how the team has collaborated with parents/carers and/or other external organisations, particularly those less obvious, to create positive learning environments and opportunities for the children in their care. Feedback and quotes from ‘partners’ including parents/carers would be advantageous.
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