A guide to nominating for schools and colleges

Are you coordinating your school or college’s submission for the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2025?

Whether this is your first time or you’re looking for guidance to make your nomination stand out, we’ve got you covered.

Our FAQ guide explains everything you need to know about the process, from how to submit your nomination to what the shortlisting panel looks for in a successful entry.

Get the insights you need to prepare your submission with confidence and highlight the outstanding achievements in your school or college.

Ready to nominate?

Head to the Teach Portsmouth website to submit your nominations using the online form.

Submit your nominations

Frequently asked questions

About the event:

The Teach Portsmouth Awards is one way we retain and reward education professionals in the city. Those who are recognised and put forward for an award tell us how much they feel valued when a senior colleague recognises them. Everyone receives a certificate in recognition of their work, regardless of whether they are shortlisted.

Schools have also told us that they have embedded award nominations as a central part of their retention activities alongside other recruitment marketing. We would encourage all schools to participate in the awards as it creates a sense of pride in our community.

The best way to receive updates about the awards is to subscribe to the Portsmouth Education Partnership bulletin. This weekly email newsletter is sent out during term time and contains the latest updates about the awards.

Alternatively, you can visit the Teach Portsmouth Awards page.

Each school/college automatically receives two tickets to attend the event. These can be allocated to any member of school staff to represent your organisation. Ticketing is handled through Eventbrite. We will contact schools/colleges in May about their tickets. Tickets are free.

If a colleague is nominated and shortlisted, they will also receive a ticket to attend. This will be communicated to you once shortlisting has been announced in May. We also operate a waiting list if additional tickets become available. This is allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Submitting your nomination:

If you have been appointed as your school/college’s nominator, please visit the Teach Portsmouth website. Online nominations close on Friday 14 February 2025 at 4pm.

We would recommend downloading the Word template to compile your nomination before adding it to the online form. The online form does not save entries as it goes.

Please nominate a senior member of your school/college team to co-ordinate your submission. This individual should be responsible for collating nominations and be able to liaise with staff who are recognised. Once the submission is sent using the online form, Teach Portsmouth will communicate with the appointed nominator via email, providing further updates when needed.

All nominations must be submitted using the online nomination form on the Teach Portsmouth website. If you have questions, please refer to the FAQs first. If you experience any issues when submitting your nominations, please email [email protected].

Please select the categories you would like to choose. It is not compulsory to nominate in every category.

The categories for the Teach Portsmouth Awards 2025 are:

  • Community award
  • Early career teacher award
  • Early years and childcare award
  • Inclusion and diversity award
  • Innovation award
  • Long service award
  • Outstanding contribution award
  • People’s choice award
  • Teaching and learning support award
  • Unsung hero award
  • Volunteer award
  • Wellbeing award

Information about the criteria for each award category is available at: www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/awards

This award recognises individuals who have been working in Portsmouth for 20 years or more. Their education career can span multiple schools within the city.

The long service award is not shortlisted. Schools can submit up to five nominations for the long service award through the online form. For additional nominations, please email [email protected].

Please note we cannot accept nominations for individuals who have previously received this award.

It is recommended to use the full word count of 200 words in your submission. The shortlisting panel will want examples of your colleagues work which will be used to determine a shortlist and overall winner.

It’s helpful to inform the nominee, as Teach Portsmouth will contact them to request their consent to be included in the Teach Portsmouth Awards.

The deadline for all nominations is Friday 14 February 2025 at 4pm. Once the deadline has been met, no further nominations can be submitted and the online form will close.

Writing your nomination:

The shortlisting panel will be looking for examples and evidence when reviewing submissions.

When submitting a nomination, it’s essential to support your submission with the specific criteria for the award. Each award has unique qualities it seeks to recognise, so take time to read and understand the criteria before you begin writing. A strong nomination should answer the key Who/Why/What/How questions and provide clear evidence of the nominee’s impact.

Further guidance can be found in the section below.

How to write a winning nomination

When submitting a nomination, it’s essential to support your submission with the specific criteria for the award. Each award has unique qualities it seeks to recognise, so take time to read and understand the criteria before you begin writing. A strong nomination should answer the key Who/Why/What/How questions and provide clear evidence of the nominee’s impact.

Before writing your nomination, carefully review the criteria for the award.

  • Who?
    Clearly identify the nominee(s). Share their role, how long they’ve been contributing, and their role within the school or college.
  • Why?
    Explain why this individual or team stands out. Highlight their passion, unique qualities, or extraordinary commitment to the children, colleagues, or families they support.
  • What?
    Describe what they have done to make a difference. Use specific examples of their work, projects, or initiatives that address the award criteria.
  • How?
    Share how they achieved their success. For example:

    • Did they implement innovative teaching techniques?
    • How do they engage children and young people, their families, staff, or the wider community?
    • How do they approach challenges or foster collaboration?

Winning nominations clearly demonstrate the nominee’s success. Include evidence such as:

  • Concrete outcomes (e.g., improved student performance, increased family engagement).
  • Long-term contributions that have influenced the school or community.
  • Examples of practices or programs developed by the nominee and how these are used by others.

Bring the nominee’s personality and values to life. Use descriptive language to illustrate their unique traits, such as their dedication, leadership, or ability to inspire.

As you write, continuously refer to the award criteria to ensure your nomination addresses all key points.

For example:

  • If the award recognises innovation, describe how the nominee developed creative solutions.
  • If the award celebrates an outstanding contribution, provide examples of sustained impact over time.
  • If the award focuses on collaboration, explain how the nominee has built strong partnerships or fostered teamwork.

Make your submission engaging by including specific examples that highlight the nominee’s actions. For instance:

  • Share a challenge they faced, the steps they took to address it, and the positive results achieved.
  • Include personal stories that illustrate their passion, dedication, or ability to make a difference.

An example of a winning nomination:

Here is the winning nomination for the outstanding contribution to education award in 2023.

Nominee: Giri Nair, Flying Bull Academy
Award: Outstanding Contribution to Education

Giri has worked at FBA for 32 years having a positive impact on hundreds of children, their families and the next generation of teachers through her mentoring of students. Her passion for education is infectious and her drive to improve outcomes for children is relentless. Giri believes that education and learning to read improves life chances for children. Giri welcomes parents/carers into her classroom to participate in her reading projects. She shows parents how to support their children with phonics and early reading and how to foster a lifelong love of books. Parental engagement is another passion of Giri’s. Her approach is kind but firm, helping parents to see the collaborative role they play in supporting education. For those who English is an additional language, Giri has shared her own journey from Singapore to the UK. She has supported colleagues in developing their practice and created interventions which are widely used throughout the school. Her high standards and high levels of support extend to trainee teachers. So many have benefited from having Giri as their mentor. Always smiling and there with a hug when you need it, I can’t think of a better person to win this award!

This award recognises the sustained and substantial impact an individual has made on the education of children and young people in Portsmouth. Individuals may have enjoyed long careers in education elsewhere but must have made a significant impact in the city.

In your submission, you must give detailed examples of what they have achieved. The shortlisting panel will be looking for strong evidence that is measurable. When writing your submission, you should emphasise their years of service to education but identify specific achievements during this time when working in Portsmouth.

Giri has worked at FBA for 32 years, impacting hundreds of children, families, and future teachers. Her passion for education is infectious, and her drive to improve outcomes for children is relentless.

Why? Giri believes education is transformative. She invites parents into her classroom to participate in reading projects, teaching them how to foster a lifelong love of books.

What? Giri implemented tailored reading interventions, now adopted school-wide, to support children struggling with literacy. She mentors trainee teachers, equipping them with tools to succeed.

How? Giri engages families with innovative phonics workshops and shares her personal journey to inspire those with English as an additional language. Her kind but firm approach empowers parents and helps them see the collaborative role they play in their children’s education.

Her legacy is felt across the school, with her interventions and mentorship continuing to benefit future generations.

By adjusting your nomination to the award criteria and including specific examples and evidence, you’ll create a strong submission that reflects the nominee’s exceptional contributions.

If you have any further questions about the Teach Portsmouth Awards, please contact the team at [email protected].