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Celebrating the success of Scotland's schools
18/11/2008
Schools across Scotland are being encouraged to celebrate their successes as the 2009 Scottish Education Awards are launched.
The Scottish Education Awards are a celebration of the good practice and innovative developments taking place in schools across the country.
The awards highlight best practice in Scottish classrooms, celebrate schools and acknowledge the dedicated individuals who devote their lives to helping young people fulfil their potential.
The awards were launched today at Shawlands Academy, winner of the Greener Schools Award at the Scottish Education Awards 2008 held in June. Shawlands also gained UK wide acclaim for their work at this year's UK Teaching Awards winning the Sustainable Schools Award.
Speaking at the launch, Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said:
"It takes commitment and enthusiasm from pupils and staff alike to make Scotland's schools the successful and positive learning environments that they are.
"We should all be proud of the many innovations and creative initiatives underway in our schools. Schools such as Shawlands, who have been recognised for their excellent and wide-ranging eco-friendly schemes, are a great example of this proactive approach.
"The Scottish Education Awards are about giving recognition where it's deserved and rewarding achievement. Over the coming months I look forward to hearing about the positive work taking place in schools across Scotland."
Nominations for the Scottish Education Awards, sponsored by the Scottish Government, are open from today until Friday 27 February 2009. For further details and to make a nomination visit the Scottish Education Awards website.
Awards will be given across 17 categories:
- One Scotland Active Citizenship Award
- Learning Teach Scotland Ambition Award
- Determined to Succeed Most Enterprising School Awards (three awards given - for Primary, Secondary and Special)
- Determined to Succeed Best Enterprise Award
- Quality Meat Scotland Health and Wellbeing Award
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Learning Award
- Greener Scotland Award
- Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Schools for All Award
- International Schools Award
- Daily Record Award for Education Supporter of the Year
- Daily Record Award for Teacher of the Year
- Daily Record Award for Headteacher of the Year
- Daily Record Award for Probationer Teacher of the Year
- Daily Record Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Homecoming Scotland Award
The Homecoming Scotland Award has been introduced for 2009 - Scotland's Year of Homecoming. This award will recognise how schools and young people have explored and celebrated Scotland's great contributions to the world, including Scots who have emigrated around the world and played a part in the development and history of other countries.
Of the 2008 Scottish Education Award winners, Shawlands Academy in Glasgow was one of two Scottish winners at the UK Teaching Awards last month, winning the Sustainable Schools Award. David Miller, an English Teacher at St Ninian's High School in East Dunbartonshire, won the Secondary School Teacher of the Year Award. Shawlands were acknowledged for their sustainability curriculum involving an international project on active citizenship. Further initiatives include encouraging children to cycle to school, litter collection, tree planting, and a healthy eating reward scheme.