Raising Rochdale Education Awards 2025

To understand our awards mean in more detail, please see below the following criteria for each of this year’s categories.

1. Commitment to Inclusion – This award celebrates schools and colleges that provide exceptional care and education for pupils, through a proactive, inclusive, and caring approach that has made a tangible impact for its young people.
2. Commitment to Sport – This award celebrates schools and colleges that engage young people in sport and physical exercise to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. By providing high-quality teaching, coaching, extra-curricular activities, and forming valuable partnerships, these schools inspire students to develop their sporting skills and develop a love for physical activity.
3. Community Engagement – This award celebrates schools and colleges that have made a significant contribution to their local community. By fostering collaboration with local businesses, charities, organisations, and individuals, the community engagement will have benefitted pupils, parents, and the wider community.
4. Governor of the Year – This award recognises the significant commitment of those that volunteer as a governor to support schools and colleges across Rochdale.
5. Leadership Team of the Year – This award recognises schools and colleges that demonstrate outstanding leadership which contributes to a positive and effective learning environment. It celebrates innovative and results-focused leadership that has driven significant progress and success for the school or college during the current academic year.
6. Lifetime Achievement – This award recognises an individual that has made an outstanding contribution throughout their career.
7. Commitment to Science Education - This award celebrates schools and colleges that have inspired young people to develop a love of science. This could be through providing high-quality teaching, science related projects, extra-curricular science activities or strengthening partnerships with external organisations.
8. Mental Health & Wellbeing – This award recognises schools and colleges that are effectively tackling mental health and wellbeing issues among young people and staff, and promote positive social and emotional wellbeing by creating a culture where mental health is everyone’s responsibility.
9. Raising Rochdale School or College of the Year – This award celebrates schools and colleges that have made an exceptional contribution to Raising Rochdale during the current academic year.
10. Personal Development – This award recognises schools and colleges that provide outstanding opportunities for personal development that are successfully preparing young people for the future. This could be through career-related learning, enterprise initiatives or student leadership programmes that inspire aspiration, develop critical thinking, and equip students with the skills and mindset to excel.
11. Sustainability Project of the Year – This award recognises schools and colleges that are making considerable efforts to promote environmental responsibility, are actively contributing to a sustainable future and are growing a new eco-conscious generation.
12. Primary Support Star of the Year – This award recognises support staff in primary schools that make a significant contribution to the life of the school. Whether working as a teaching assistant, receptionist, technician, community coordinator, personal assistant, administrator, business manager, or in another key role, this individual consistently goes the extra mile and is an inspiration to others.
13. Secondary Support Star of the Year – This award recognises support staff in secondary schools that make a significant contribution to the life of their school. Whether working as a teaching assistant, receptionist, technician, community coordinator, personal assistant, administrator, business manager, or in another key role, this individual consistently goes the extra mile and is an inspiration to others.
14. Post-16 Support Star of the Year – This award recognises support staff in colleges that make a significant contribution to the life of their establishment. Whether working as a teaching assistant, receptionist, technician, community coordinator, personal assistant, administrator, business manager, or in another key role, this individual consistently goes the extra mile and is an inspiration to others.
15. Primary Teacher of the Year – This award celebrates primary school teachers who go above and beyond to inspire and engage their students. It recognises exceptional teachers who bring learning to life, helping children unlock their potential through dedication, passion, and creativity.
16. Secondary Teacher of the Year – This award celebrates secondary school teachers who go above and beyond to inspire and engage their students. It recognises exceptional teachers who bring learning to life, helping children unlock their potential through dedication, passion, and creativity.
17. Post-16 Tutor of the Year – This award celebrates post-16 tutors who go above and beyond to inspire and engage their students. It recognises exceptional teachers who bring learning to life, helping children unlock their potential through dedication, passion, and creativity.