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NORTH’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS EDUCATIONAL AWARDS RETURN FOR 2022

They are the most prestigious and highly competitive educational awards in the North of England and now they are back and open for entries for 2022.

The Educate North Awards will see the North’s University, Higher Education and Sixth Form sectors compete across a range of specialist categories for the honour of picking up a sought-after trophy and being celebrated by their peers and expert judges drawn from across the region and the UK.

The awards dinner will be live again and will feature special guests and music and will be staged at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on Thursday 7th April 2022.

The categories and entry details are now available on the Educate North website.

Edge Hill University in West Lancashire was named University of the Year at a special online presentation in April this year before being named ‘Modern University of the Year’ by The Sunday Times.

Other winners included The University of Bradford, Newcastle University, Preston’s College, University of Manchester and institutions in Leeds and Chester.

The special Radio Awards, chosen by the listeners of Smooth (North West), Smooth (North East) and Heart (Yorkshire) will also return and continue to acknowledge outstanding contributions during the covid crisis.

‘The Educate North Awards are exceptionally competitive and cover the entire region celebrating resilience, improvement, achievement and excellence’ said Emeritus Professor Phil Harris, the Head of Judges; ’Now with radio listeners to 3 of the top stations in the country participating the profile and excitement around the competition and event is intensifying and growing’.

In the coming weeks more details about the Radio Awards, the entrepreneur competitions and the special live guests will be announced.

Educate North Awards were founded by the broadcaster Rob McLoughlin OBE and are sponsored by The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Manchester, The Pilot Group, CCL Digital, IT Capital, Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West, Smooth North East, CommunicorpUK and John Kennedy CBE.

They are run in association with Why Events, Don’t Panics and have been supported by Prolific North.

Full details on the Educate North website.

Educate North Awards 2021

To mark the sacrifices by the education sector, students, lecturers and academic staff during the Covid crisis, Educate North teamed up with listeners to three popular radio stations Smooth North West, Heart Yorkshire and Smooth North East. 

Listeners inundated the stations with nominations for outstanding individuals or organisations in 3 new categories. The results saw one teacher dance and jig in his classroom as he became a winner.

Professor Tony Young, Head of Clinical Innovation for NHS England also announced 3 nominations for a special Health Award. This was won by The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine along with its partners at The University of Liverpool and NHS Hospitals Trust.

Among the many winners was Edge Hill in Ormskirk, Lancashire, which was awarded overall University of the Year in recognition of its continued commitment to deliver an exceptional student experience. 

The University was awarded the coveted top prize for the exceptional progress it has made to deliver investment and innovation over the past 12 months and its dedication to placing students at the heart of everything it does. 

The University of Cumbria’s Festival of Mental Health won the community engagement award.

The Festival is a celebration of wellbeing and offers help and support to all through its array of workshops including gardening, mindfulness, yoga and creative arts. There is also an art festival, talks, and a ‘marketplace’ of local charities, organisations and institutions.

Raising funds for local charities, the festival’s patron is Wigton-born author, broadcaster and peer Melvyn Bragg, who is an honorary fellow of the university and a past president of the national charity Mind.

Coinciding with World Mental Health Day every October, the Festival of Mental Health strengthens the University of Cumbria’s role as a leading training provider of nursing and other health professionals across the region and beyond.

The Principle of Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Mike Kilbride, was honoured with the national award for outstanding leadership. The ‘UK Leadership Award’ was given in recognition of significant achievements in leading Birkenhead Sixth Form College on a complete journey of transformation, not least being rated as outstanding in all areas by Ofsted.

The college has been shortlisted once again for the UK Sixth Form College of the Year by TES Awards, formerly the Times Education Supplement.

It won the award just three years ago and this year’s shortlisting cements their place as a national leader in Further Education.

Although the Educate North Awards ceremony was honouring 2020 winners, with last year’s celebration being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances of the last year and more have brought into stark light the qualities of leadership required to deal with young people’s education and the deficits that they have endured during various lockdowns.

Both staff and students at the College have benefitted from what they called Mr Kilbride’s ‘strong, passionate and thoughtful’ leadership, and his communication with all parties about the direction he was steering the College through the pandemic has been highly praised by parents, with one saying it was ‘first class’.

Accepting the UK Leadership Award, Mike Kilbride said: “It’s obviously personally very gratifying to be recognised for the work that you’ve done over many years, but you can’t have success as a leader without a fantastic team behind you.”

The Educate North Awards are organised by Carm Productions in conjunction with partners John Kennedy CBE, CCL Digital, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, The Pilot Group, Communicorp UK, Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West and Smooth North East. You can view the streamed ceremony below.

2021 University Entrepreneurs Grant winners

The winner of the University Entrepreneurs Grant, as chosen by Dr Jacob Salder and Phil Hodari, was revealed on March 4th. The University Entrepreneurs Grant is part of the Educate North Awards, the regional awards ceremony for FE and HE institutions.

The finalists are the University of Chester’s Jade Rice, two entrants from Manchester – Dr Mohammad El Hajj and Riddi Varshitaa Viswanathan – plus the University of York’s Nihad Cehic.

The announcement was made via three northern radio stations– Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West and Smooth North East -and an online video. The usual ceremony was moved online because of the current pandemic.

Rob McLoughlin, broadcaster and organiser of Educate North and the UEG, said: “The competitors have worked hard during lockdown to make their pitches and to try and grab the attention of the judges. Normally the contestants have to face the live audience at the fabulous awards ceremony but because of restrictions we’ve taken it online and the standard is high and the judging tense. The competitors are impressive and the scale of the ideas tremendous.”

For more details and the video announcement of the winner, visit the Prolific North page.

Virtual Educate North awards 2021

The annual Educate North Awardswill be moving online for the ceremony on 22 April 2021. The awards are organised by Rob McLoughlin’s Carm Productionsand will be hosted by Jim Hancock, former Political Editor of Granada TV and BBC North West.

Further details of this year’s awards are given on the Prolific North website.

Educate North Awards postponed until 2021

The Educate North Awards, which were originally planned to be hosted on September 30th, have been moved to March 2021 at The Midland Hotel, Manchester.

The awards were created by Rob McLoughlin, the award-winning broadcaster and producer, and the full shortlist was revealed earlier in the year. They also encompass the University Entrepreneurs Grant (UEG), a business competition now planned to take place online in Autumn 2020.

For more details, see the Prolific North website.

Educate North Awards shortlist announced

The full shortlist for April’s Educate North Awards, designed to celebrate the very finest work in higher and further education, has been revealed.

The prizes will be given at the Award Ceremony, held at Manchester’s Hilton Deansgate on 23 April 2020. Tickets are available here.

Business/Industry Collaboration – HE/FE Sector 

  • Kirklees College & Huddersfield Town Education Partner
  • Leeds City College, University Centre Leeds – HE Science Team
  • Tees Valley Logistics Academy – Education Training Collective

Business/Industry Collaboration – University Sector

  • Chester Business School, University of Chester – Centre for Work Related Studies
  • Emile Education & Manchester Met Uni’s Faculty of Education
  • University of Salford & Northern Care Alliance Partnership

Social Mobility Award – HE/FE Sector

  • Greater Manchester Higher – UNi:4U summer school programme
  • Huddersfield New College
  • Liverpool Football College
  • Myerscough College – Croxteth Campus
  • Preston’s College & Mark Taylor – Construction HOS
  • Qube Learning
  • St John Rigby College & GMHigher – The Way Programme
  • University Campus Oldham
  • University Campus Oldham – The Disability Service
  • University Centre Leeds – Community Activity Programme

Social Mobility Award – University Sector

Sponsored by Smooth North West

Judges chose not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the evening.

Business Collaboration & Partnerships Award – HE/FE Sector

  • Cheshire College South & West
  • Leeds City College, University Centre Leeds – HE Science Team
  • Newcastle College Energy Academy
  • Qube Learning
  • University Centre Leeds – Policing Taster Days

Business Collaboration & Partnerships Award – University Sector

Judges chose not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the evening.

Employer Engagement Award – HE/FE Sector

  • Backstage Academy
  • Bishop Burton College
  • Greenhead College
  • Hopwood Hall College
  • Leeds City College, University Centre Leeds – HE Science Team
  • Macclesfield College
  • National Employer Training, part of the Grimsby Institute
  • Tees Valley Logistics Academy – Education Training Collective
  • The Manchester College – Employability and Partnerships Team
  • The Manchester College – Employer Sponsored Programmes

Employer Engagement Award – University Sector

Sponsored by Smooth North East

  • Northumbria Students Union
  • The University of Bradford

External Relations Team of the Year

  • LTE Group – Marketing and External Relations Team
  • Myerscough College – Open Day & Country Fair
  • University Centre Leeds – Community Activity Programme
  • University of Bradford
  • University of Salford, External Relations & Salford Untold

Innovation Award

Sponsored by Voiceworks

  • Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
  • Leeds Beckett University, Carnegie School of Education & Story Makers Company
  • Macclesfield College
  • Manchester Metropolitan University – Third Term Programme
  • Manchester Metropolitan University & David Leathlean – The Joy of Learning’ Project
  • The Manchester College – Stacey Foy & Improving Grammar through Flipped Personalised Digital Delivery
  • University Campus North Lincolnshire, Humber Outreach Project & Trent Valley Gliding Club
  • University of Central Lancashire & Fernandez Foundation Hyderabad – International Midwifery Educator Programme
  • University of Chester & Chester Smart Composite Group – Use of multifunctional structures

Student Experience Award – HE/FE Sector

  • Backstage Academy
  • Hopwood Hall College
  • Huddersfield New College – Talented Athletes Support Programme
  • Liverpool Football College
  • New College Durham – The 42 Day Project
  • Newcastle College – Hot Topic Initiative Pastoral Support Team
  • Newcastle College University Centre
  • Oldham College – Additional Learning Support
  • Oldham College – Supported Internships
  • The Manchester College – How ‘The Deal’ supports Employability

Student Experience Award – University Sector

Sponsored by Communicorp

  • Liverpool Hope Students’ Union & Caitriona and Haris
  • University of Central Lancashire – Graduation July 2019
  • University of Central Lancashire, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing – Foundation Entry Programme
  • University of Cumbria Institute of Health Nursing Team
  • University of Salford – Maker Space
  • University of Salford, Salford Now & Quays News

International Partnership – HE/FE Sector

  • Grimsby Institute
  • NCUK – The University Consortium & British Study Centres
  • South Shields Marine School

International Partnership – University Sector

  • University of Central Lancashire & Fernandez Foundation Hyderabad – International Midwifery Educator Programme
  • University of Chester & Chester Smart Composite Group

Community Engagement Award – Schools

  • AmaSing
  • Pocklington School Foundation
  • Sedbergh School
  • St Peter’s School, York – Public Lecture Series
  • St. Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment

Community Engagement Award – HE/FE Sector

  • Askham Bryan College & Prince’s Trust – FLEXible Learning Community Engagement programmes
  • Cheshire College South & West and Belong Villages
  • Craven College – Adult, Community and Projects
  • Leeds City College Performing Arts, West Yorkshire Police & Red Ladder Theatre Company – Knife Crime Project
  • Newcastle College – ESOL Development and Integration
  • Oldham Sixth Form College – Essential Life Skills Project
  • Preston’s College – Construction
  • St John Rigby College & GMHigher – The Way Programme
  • University Centre Leeds – Community Activity Programme

Community Engagement Award – University Sector

Sponsored by Heart Yorkshire

  • Liverpool Hope Student Union & Caitriona and Haris
  • Newcastle University Students’ Union
  • Northumbria University – NUSTEM Pop-Up Shops
  • University of Bradford School of Management
  • University of Chester & CHEW – Chester Healthy Eating Workshops
  • University of Cumbria – Institute of Health Nursing Team

Research Project of the Year

Judges chose not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the evening.

Research Team of the Year

Judges chose not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the evening.

Teaching Excellence Award

  • Helen Appleby, Wilberforce College
  • Birkenhead Sixth Form College Staff
  • Burnley College Sixth Form Centre Staff
  • Derek Fredricks, ACORN Academy
  • David Hastings, Wilberforce College
  • Colette Mazzola, Blackpool and The Fylde College
  • Anna Royle, St Margaret Ward Primary School
  • Jimmy Stobbart, Sunderland College
  • Sunderland College Music Staff Team
  • Zac Wilkinson, Preston’s College

UK Leadership Award

  • Chris Andreou, Innersummit Ltd
  • Jayne Clarke, The Pinnacle Learning Trust
  • Emma Forrest-Leigh, Grimsby Institute
  • Professor Zahir Irani, University of Bradford School of Management
  • Rachel Kay, Macclesfield College
  • Mike Kilbride, Birkenhead Sixth Form College
  • Susannah McShane, Coop Academy Woodslee
  • Lisa O’Loughlin, The Manchester College
  • Katie Wheeldon, National Employer Training

UK Apprenticeship Award

  • Macclesfield College
  • Myerscough College
  • Qube Learning
  • The Juice Academy
  • University of Central Lancashire & Lancashire School of Business and Enterprise – Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship

Business School of the Year

Judges chose not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the evening.

Students’ Union of the Year

  • Chester Students’ Union
  • Liverpool Hope Students’ Union
  • Newcastle University Students’ Union
  • Northumbria Students’ Union
  • University of Sunderland Students’ Union

Further Education College of the Year

  • Bishop Burton College
  • Burnley College
  • Education Training Collective
  • Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
  • Huddersfield New College
  • Myerscough College
  • Oldham College
  • Preston’s College
  • The Manchester College
  • Tyne Coast College

Entrepreneur of the Year

Sponsored by The Masood Enterprise Centre at the University of Manchester

  • Adrian Brooks, Backstage Academy
  • Annie Guy, Musical Theatre Studio Ltd
  • Dr John A Patterson, St. Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment

University of the Year

  • Edgehill University
  • Teesside University

Lifetime Achievement Award

Supported by Dr John Kennedy CBE, Patron of The Educate North Awards

Judges chose not to release a shortlist for this category. The winner will be announced on the evening

House of Commons Speaker at Educate North Awards

The recently appointed Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, will be guest of honour at this year’s Educate North Awards, taking place on April 23rd at the Deansgate Hilton Hotel.

Accompanied by his wife, Lady Hoyle, the Speaker – who took over from John Bercow in December 2019 – will present a number of awards on the evening.

You can read more on the Prolific North website.

Manchester University supports Educate North Awards

The Masood Enterprise Centre (MEC) at The University of Manchester has become the first higher education institution to join up as a patron of the Educate North Awards, which take place in April 2020.

Hosted by Carm Productions, the event takes place on 23 April 2020 at Manchester’s Hilton Deansgate.

For more details, visit the Prolific North website.

Educate North Awards – winners announced

The North West’s education sector was celebrated at the Educate North Awards, held in Manchester on 25 April. Over 400 people witnessed a total of 23 awards handed out to competing education organisations and individuals. University of the Year went to the University of Newcastle.

Dr John Kennedy CBE was patron of the Educate North Awards and sponsor of the pre-dinner reception.

For the full story, see the Prolific North news page.