2020 Tes FE Award winners announced
The winners of the 2020 Tes FE Awards were announced at an online event on 16 October. Awards were presented in 18 categories, including two sponsored by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF).
The ETF-sponsored Teacher of the year award went to Helena Good of Edinburgh College. The graphic design lecturer and driving force behind the Daydream Believers programme – described by the judges as the most important educational initiative in Scotland at the moment – said she felt honoured to have been considered alongside the other nominees who all deserved to be recognised for going above and beyond.
Other nominees in the category were: Aisleen Parker of City College Peterborough, Peter Brown of City Lit, Mandy Gutsell of Fircroft College of Adult Education, Neil Godfrey of Hartlepool College of Further Education, Cheryl Hall of North Hertfordshire College, Eleanor Turner of The Windsor Forest Colleges Group, and James Donkin of Sunderland College.
The second award sponsored by the ETF – the FE Leader of the year – went to London South East Colleges Group’s Chief Executive Sam Parrett, who said she was proud to be part of an inspiring work family that has a positive impact on lives and local communities every day. In 2016, at the request of the FE Commissioner, she led the country’s first three-way college merger, bringing together Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich Community colleges. She was praised by the judges for her bravery and energy.
There were seven other nominees for the award: Simon Pirotte of Bridgend College, Mike Blakeley of Exeter College, Cheryl Smith of FutureSKills at MediaCityUK, Karen Dobson of Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, Mouhssin Ismail of Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre, Jacqueline McAllister of Northern Regional College, and Lisa O’Loughlin of The Manchester College.
The Lifetime achievement award went to Ruth Spellman, a member of the Board of the Education and Training Foundation. She served as Chief Executive of the Workers’ Educational Association from 2012 to 2019, having been awarded an OBE for services to workplace learning in 2007.
The winners in the other categories were:
- Apprenticeship programme of the year: Skills Training UK
- Best teaching and learning initiative: Grimsby Institute
- Contribution to the local community: Cardiff and Vale College
- Employer engagement: North West Regional College
- Outstanding GCSE resits provision: Birkenhead Sixth Form College
- Support for learners: Cambridge Regional College
- Outstanding use of technology for improving teaching, learning and assessment: Cardiff and Vale College
- WorldSkills unsung hero: Joan Scott
- Professional services team of the year: Bedford College Group
- FE college of the year: Bedford College Group
- Training provider of the year: The Skills Group
- Adult and community learning provider of the year: Inspire, Nottinghamshire
- Sixth-form college of the year: New College Pontefract
- Specialist provider of the year: Coleg Elidyr
- Overall FE provider of the year: New College Pontefract.
The ETF’s congratulations go to all of the winners and shortlisted entries, who are examples of outstanding practice across the FE and Training sector. Six of the shortlisted entries are Society for Education and Training (SET) members who spoke to the ETF about their joy at being nominated.
Further details of the 2020 Tes FE Awards are available on the Tes website.
