Login
Don't have an account? Register here.Forgot your password?Register here.
Haven't recieved your sign-up email? Get in touch with us here
FE teams play a vital role in shaping learners’ futures.
The strongest teams bring together a mix of skills, ideas, and energy to achieve genuine impact for their learners. They work with purpose, support one another, and share a commitment to helping every learner succeed. The most impactful teams truly make a difference to the lives and futures of those they teach and support.
Who can enter?
- Open to all FE teams working in UK Further Education colleges delivering qualifications from Entry Level to Level 3.
- The team can be made up of teaching and non-teaching staff – there is no set number of individuals in any team and teams can work at several college clusters.
Nominator Guidance
FE Team of the Year – Nominator Guidance.
What makes a good entry?
Thank you for taking the time to nominate your colleagues for the FE Team of the Year award. Your nomination plays an important role in showing judges their impact on and making a genuine, measurable difference to learners’ lives and futures. Your enty should clearly show how the team works together, how individual strengths contribute to shared success, and the lasting impact of their collective efforts. Please note where the term nominee is used below, this is the whole team, in this case.
Please structure your entry using the four headings below.
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 team, 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 College Community: Highlight the nominee’s overall contribution to the life of the college 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 college 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 scollege
environment.
You could share 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 college experience and making a positive impact.
Personal journey and inspiration
To help our judges understand the nominee (individual or 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 student progress or attainment data, or recognition by external agencies to show your nominee’s impact on students, 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.
Entries that are not unique
We want to emphasise the importance of submitting unique, personalised nominations that reflect the individual / team you’re celebrating. 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 Teaching and Learning
In this section address how the team works cohesively in planning and delivering the course content and consistently review teaching and learning. How does each team member contribute to the overall success?
2 Team role and impact
In this section describe how individual roles complement one another within the team.
Gives examples of effective teamwork that have led to measurable improvements for learners and detail the impact this has on learners’ academic progress, confidence, employability skills or readiness for next steps.
Demonstrate how the team achieves more together than they could individually.
3 Vision and goals
This is your opportunity to really share how the team has developed and grown together over time, against the original team objectives. Tell us their journey – judges want to understand what the team set out to achieve and how far they have come. Challenges faced and overcome, and the team’s impact on outcomes for learners, team members, the college and any stakeholders.
4 Inspiring and engaging others
This section focuses on how the team works beyond its immediate remit. Consider including wider collaboration with colleagues across the college, partnerships with external stakeholders, employers or community organisations. Importantly evidence the positive outcomes of how these relationships improve learning and help prepare learners for life beyond college.
General tips for a strong FE 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 students’ learning, development and wellbeing, particularly for those facing barriers.
- Avoid using a generic template with only small edits — judges want to see what sets this person apart.
Judges will ask themselves
What makes this team stand out within Further Education, and how has their impact been evidenced in the entry?
What are they doing over and above what is expected in their professional role?
What are they doing that’s different? What is their unique selling point?
You can download this information here
Award Criteria
Please address each of these points in your entry, under the following headings.
Teaching and Learning
How does the team work together to create an engaging, effective learning experience and ensure consistent high-quality practice? Tell us how their approach helps students build the skills, confidence, and resilience they need for life beyond education. Share examples of creativity or adaptability in their teaching, including new ideas, resources, or collaborations that have made a positive difference to learners’ progress and wellbeing.
Team role and impact
What part does the team play within the wider college community, and how do individual strengths contribute to shared success? Show us how their teamwork has made a measurable difference for learners both in academic progress and in developing confidence, skills, and readiness for life beyond education.
Vision and goals
What did the team set out to achieve and where are they now, against their ambitions? Tell us about the journey. Include the challenges they’ve faced, how they have overcome them and the progress they’ve made. Have the outcomes matched or exceeded their original objectives? What is the impact of these outcomes? Consider this in terms of team members, learners, the college community and any stakeholders.
Inspiring and engaging others
Describe how the team work with colleagues, external stakeholders, or the wider community to positively impact students’ overall learning experience and create opportunities that help prepare learners for life beyond college.
You need to be logged in to enter
Forgot your password?Register here.
Haven't recieved your sign-up email? Get in touch with us here
Entry Form
Coming soon...
