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Transforming the life chances of local children.
This award celebrates primary schools that transform the life chances of its students while enriching its local community. These schools often face challenges yet approach them with creativity, care, and determination. They have evidence of sustained exemplary practice over many years and are able to provide tangible examples of how they go above and beyond to provide aspirational and engaging learning for all children. They’re places where children love to learn, staff feel valued and motivated, and families and the community take pride in being part of the school’s success. The school will be an inspiration to others.
Who can enter?
Open to state or independent infant, primary or first schools teaching children aged 4-11 across the UK.
Nominator Guidance
Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year – Nominator Guidance.
What makes a good entry?
Thank you for taking the time to nominate your wholes school team in the Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year award. Your nomination plays an important role in showing judges the team’s impact. NB the term nominee throughout this document refers to the whole team.
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 well, 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 A school for all
Under this criterion we would love to see evidence of how the school’s vision and values have shaped an inclusive culture. Show how the vision influences behaviour and decision-making. Share evidence of how inclusion is embedded and how this has improved experiences and outcomes for pupils from different starting points. Judges are looking examples of sustained, lived impact rather than aspirational statements.
2 Brighter futures
Demonstrate response to challenge and the resulting impact. Explain what the school has done to address barriers and what has changed as a result. Include evidence of improvements in outcomes such as attainment, progress, attendance, behaviour or wellbeing, and show that high standards are achieved consistently over time.
3 Beyond the classroom
In this section, please tell us about the purpose and impact of community work. As well as giving examples of activities, explain why partnerships were developed and what they aimed to achieve. Provide evidence of how working with parents, community groups or organisations has strengthened the school and its effect on those involved.
4 Inspiring and engaging others
Demonstrate the impact of collaboration. Focus on what has changed as a result of working with others – locally and/or nationally. Show how engaging and working wth parents, partners and other schools/stakeholders has benefitted young people and the wider community. Tell us what that collaboration looks like, but really key is what change has it made?
General tips for a strong Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year entry
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Write as someone who knows the school really well and has seen the journey.
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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.
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Be specific and evidence-based. Bring the school to life through authentic stories and examples that show sustained impact and community pride. Avoid general statements without explanation.
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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 school stand out from others working in a similar context?
How does the team go above and beyond to support children and families?
What evidence shows that the school’s impact is meaningful, sustained and shared?
What is this school’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.
A school for all
How does the school ensure that every child feels included, valued, and able to succeed? Describe how the school’s long-term vision, values, and genuine belief in every child’s potential shapes its approach and encourages pupils to see themselves as active, responsible members of their community and ensures they’re exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education and life.
Brighter futures
How has the school overcome challenges to create a calm, positive, and aspirational learning environment? Tell us how the team instils a love of learning, enabling children to achieve well against the odds, and grow in confidence and optimism about their future. Share examples of how pupils, parents, and the community feel pride and ownership in the school’s success, and how high standards are achieved both within and beyond the classroom.
Beyond the classroom
How does the school work with its community to support pupils’ learning and personal development? Tell us about meaningful partnerships and activities that strengthen community engagement and cohesion, and create wider opportunities for children and families. Describe how the school’s authenticity and commitment to “doing it for all the right reasons” inspire confidence and pride across the wider community.
Inspiring and engaging others
Locally: How does the school encourage and involve parents in their children’s learning? How does it collaborate with key partners to enrich the life of the school, and what has been the impact?
More widely: Give examples of how the school supports and positively engages with other schools or agencies to share and develop best practice. How does its genuine pride, belief, and authenticity inspire others, helping to strengthen education beyond its own community?
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