Teachers and Schools celebrated at the ACT Citizenship Teaching Awards 2023
Citizenship Teaching Awards 2023 - celebrating a vibrant and committed subject community.
Teachers and Schools celebrated at the ACT Citizenship Teaching Awards 2023
On Thursday 29 June, at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society we hosted our second annual Citizenship Teaching Awards. Hosted by Chief Executive, Liz Moorse and ACT’s Chair of Trustees, Marcus Bhargava, the evening paid tribute to the many teachers and schools who work tirelessly to provide excellent Citizenship education.
We received scores of nominations across the 11 different categories, highlighting the outstanding contribution of Citizenship teachers, school leaders and organisations from across the UK. This year, Special Recognition Awards were also included as part of the celebration, marking the contribution of four individuals who had made significant contributions to citizenship education over many years through academic research, Citizenship teaching, advocacy and influence, and for services to ACT.
Most importantly our Teaching Awards is about the celebration of excellence because we know Citizenship teachers work so hard to promote and establish the subject they are passionate about in their schools and settings. Your commitment and enthusiasm inspires children and young people every day – we cannot thank you enough for what you do.
Liz Moorse
ACT Chief Executive
Our most prestigious award, the Lord Blunkett Outstanding Contribution to Citizenship was presented to Ben Miskell, Citizenship Teacher at Bradfield School, Sheffield. Ben, a specialist Citizenship teacher, teaches 11 to 16 year old pupils as well as A-Level Politics and Law. Passionate about the difference high-quality Citizenship education makes, Ben is a huge advocate for the subject and has been an active member of the Association for Citizenship Teaching for a number of years – as a valued member of ACT Council and as an ACT Teaching Ambassador. Presenting the award, Liz Moorse said ‘Ben is not only a Citizenship teacher – he embodies the values of Citizenship in all he does, he lives and breathes Citizenship as an activist and an elected member of his local Council’.
Ben also received another surprise in the form of a special message from ACT Honorary President and former Education Secretary, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Blunkett. In the video, which can be watched in full below, Lord Blunkett said:
I’m very proud of you. This has been years and years in the making and I’m pleased indeed to be able to commend you and say, well done on this award.
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Blunkett
Honorary ACT President
A new category for 2023, was the Citizenship Mentor of the Year, and this was awarded to Yomi Adebiyi of Harris Girls’ Academy, East Dulwich. In Yomi’s nomination it said ‘Their mentoring approach is exceptional and he has consistently challenged, supported and guided a range of students’. Samed Karadal, from The Bridge Academy, London was awarded the Student Choice Award, a category where students can nominate their teacher. Samed was described by his students as ‘Cool’, ‘down to earth’, ‘approachable’, ‘relatable’. He was further described as someone who, ‘goes above and beyond to engage us in active citizenship campaigns’ and, ‘sacrifices time to help us improve our learning’.
Awards were also received on the night by Shereen Al-Barzangi from Burlington House School, Hammersmith, for Secondary Teacher of the Year. Shereen was described as having introduced innovative teaching strategies that have made Citizenship lessons more interactive, stimulating and inclusive for her students.
Awarding bodies, AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel sponsored three GCSE Citizenship Studies School of the Year honours. Each organisation presented a school that taught their exam specification with a trophy. The recipients were Noadswood School, Southampton, Hants (AQA), Thomas Keble School, Stroud (OCR) and Ladybridge High School, Bolton (Pearson Edexcel).
The final award of the evening was Citizenship School of the Year. The award was hotly contested, with all the shortlisted schools demonstrating huge commitment to the subject and to their students through the provision of high-quality citizenship education. The award on the night went to Leeds City Academy and was collected by Assistant Principal, Kelly Allchin.
You can read about each of the awards and shortlisted nominations in our Awards programme here.
Awards
- Climate Empowerment and Sustainability – Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, Whitby, Cheshire
- AQA GCSE Citizenship School of the Year – Noadswood School, Southampton, Hants
- OCR GCSE Citizenship School of the Year – Thomas Keble School, Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE Citizenship School of the Year – Ladybridge High School, Bolton
- Lord Blunkett Outstanding Contribution to Citizenship – Ben Miskell, Bradfield School, Sheffield
- Citizenship Organisation of the Year – Smart Schools Councils
- School Active Citizenship Award – Harris Academy Sutton, Surrey
- School Active Citizenship Award – Endeavour Academy, Peterlee, County Durham
- Trainee Teacher of the Year – Avril Agus, Pimlico Academy
- Citizenship Mentor of the Year – Yomi Adebiyi, Harris Girls’ Academy, East Dulwich
- Primary Teacher of the Year – Michael Brothwood, Djanogly Sherwood Academy, Nottingham
- Secondary Teacher of the Year – Shereen Al-Barzangi, Burlington House School, Hammersmith, London
- Student Choice Award – Samed Karadal, The Bridge Academy, London
- School of the Year – Leeds City Academy
Special Recognition
- Professor Hugh Starkey – for his outstanding contribution to academic research on Citizenship and Human Rights
- Aasiya Mohammed – for her commitment to Citizenship professional development
- Karl Sweeney – for his long standing contribution to Citizenship in schools and to ACT as a member and past Chair of Council
- Scott Harrison – member of the Crick Advisory Group which established the subject of Citizenship, many years as Ofsted HMI for Citizenship and for his long service to ACT with a ten year stint as Chair of Trustees, which he finished in May this year
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