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Transforming education with technology
This award is aimed at those who are pioneering the effective use of digital technology in education, inspiring colleagues, students, and the wider school community. They are forward-thinking and adaptable. They have proactively sought out new technologies, trends, and practices to improve the teaching and learning experience. Nominees can be entered as single individuals or as a group (team) working together.
Who can enter?
- Individuals or teams in state-funded or independent schools or FE colleges who have had a major impact on teaching and learning and spearheaded digital transformation in learning environments.
- Nominees do not need to hold QTS.
Nominator Guidance
Transformational Use of Digital Technology – Nominator Guidance.
What makes a good entry?
Thank you for taking the time to nominate your colleague for Transformationa Use of Digital Technology. Please note this category is opem to individuals and teams. Where we use the term nominee, this refers to the individual or team you are entering.
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 nominee 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 Digital Transformation
Use this section to explain what has genuinely changed as a result of the nominee’s use or wider introduction of digital technology over a sustained period.
Judges want to understand the scale and significance of the transformation. Focus on how technology has been used with purpose to improve learning experiences, access or outcomes over time, rather than simply introducing new tools.
Strong entries often show how digital approaches have removed barriers, improved engagement or supported learners in new ways, consistently over a period of time.
2 Championship
This section is about leadership and influence, not job title.
Describe how the nominee has helped others develop confidence, skill or ambition in using digital technology. This might include training, mentoring, modelling good practice or creating conditions where colleagues feel supported to try new approaches.
Judges are looking for evidence that digital practice is embedded beyond individual classrooms, and that the nominee has played a key role in making change sustainable and shared.
3 Teaching and Learning
Use this section to bring the impact back to learners.
Focus on how digital technology has improved learning experiences, behaviour, engagement or wellbeing, and how this has supported a wide range of learners. Rather than listing platforms or software, explain why particular approaches worked and what difference they made in practice.
Clear examples, supported by evidence or feedback, help judges understand how technology has strengthened teaching and learning rather than distracted from it.
Think about what impact the nominee has had on other colleagues, as well as their own direct impact on learners.
4 Nominee input
In this section, it can be helpful to include the nominee’s own voice.
This might provide insight into why particular digital choices were made, what they learned along the way, or how their thinking evolved. Judges value reflective insight that shows purpose, adaptability and a focus on improving learning rather than technology for its own sake.
General tips for a strong Transformational Use of Digital Technology entry
- Focus on impact, not tools. What matters is the difference technology has made, not how many platforms are used.
- Show change over time. Judges are interested in sustained transformation rather than one-off projects.
- Keep it grounded. Specific examples and evidence are more persuasive than broad claims about innovation.
- Remember this can be an individual or a team entry. Make it clear who is involved and how the work is led.
Judges will ask themslves
- What has genuinely changed as a result of this work?
- How do we know technology has improved learning rather than just modernised it?
- How has this practice influenced others and become embedded?
- What makes this use of digital technology truly transformational?
You can download this information here
Award Criteria
Please ensure you address these points in your entry.
Digital Transformation
- How has your nominee demonstrated leadership in introducing and incorporating digital tools and platforms to make learning more accessible to students? How is this impacting students’ attitudes to learning and their achievements across their subjects, home learning, independent study and extra-curricular activities?
- We’d love to hear about transformations over the last 3-5 years – either project-based or a whole school/MAT change, evidencing:
- How the use of technology has shown a transformation in outcomes for individuals or across the school.
- Measurable gains in areas such as student attainment, /closing achievement gaps, attendance, or participation in learning.
Championship
Explain how your nominee acts as a champion for the effective use of digital technology and is sharing best practice across the school community and beyond – to improve access and use by multiple stakeholders. Explain how the consistent embedding of technology has created a change which is shared wider than the individual classrooms.
Tell us how they have developed colleagues’ digital skills and confidence in using technology through training/mentoring, showing evidence of:
- Innovative use and ongoing, consistent embedding of technology which has created a change that is shared wider than individual classrooms?
Teaching and Learning
How has your nominee been pivotal in ensuring individual teachers / teams /whole schools use technology effectively to improve learning outcomes? What is the breadth of this impact, thinking specifically about academic subjects. How have they shown innovation in enhancing accessibility and inclusivity for all, through digital solutions, ensuring that all colleagues and learners benefit from technology.
Explain how behaviour and attitudes to learning have been altered by the integration of technology at an individual teacher level or across your school/trust. Please share any quantitative or qualitative evidence of:
- how digital technology has improved student performance, engagement, or well-being.
- the positive impact of digital tools on supporting diverse learning needs.
Nominee input. In this category it may be beneficial for the nominee being entered to contribute to the entry to include further detail of which choices of technology have been deployed, and why, in order to strengthen the nomination. This can be added in the additional information section.
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