2026 Recruitment Awards

Nominations for the Recruitment Awards in the following categories are open all year round:

Award for Best Communication or Organising Activity

This award is intended to recognise the variety and quality of organising activity and NASUWT communications at Local Association level and highlight examples of good practice that can inspire other NASUWT Representatives and activists.

Nominations can include a specific communication or communication strategy developed or an organising activity that has contributed towards building a stronger union. Examples might include activities who have increased member engagement, recruiting and supporting activists, or a specific event or campaign.

Nominations should include:

  • a description of the organising activity, communication or strategy;

  • the purpose of the activity, communication or strategy;

  • details of the target audience, why they were selected and how;

  • evidence of how the activity had/is having a positive impact on recruitment or organising;

  • information on distribution methods;

  • information on whether the communication or organising activity achieved its purpose;

  • a description of any resources used (this may include budget, materials, people, etc.);

  • any other relevant information.

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Award for Best Initiative or Campaign to Engage Under-represented Groups

This award recognises the work of Local Associations to engage, support and include members from vulnerable and under-represented groups. This includes: Black [1] members; members with a disability; LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex) members; women members; and young members.

Nominations should include:

  • a description of the campaign;

  • confirmation of the desired outcomes and aims for the activity, such as to engage and empower members, build and enhance the NASUWT in a given area, or respond to a specific issue; 

  • identification of the target audience;

  • the timescales over which the campaign took place;

  • a description of the resources used (this may include budget, materials, people, etc.);

  • any other relevant information.


Footnote
The NASUWT uses the term Black in a political and inclusive sense to describe those who self-identify as African, Caribbean and Asian identities and those with a common and direct history of racism, racist oppression and diminished opportunities in today’s society.

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Recruiter of the Year Award

Nominations should include:

  • a description of what the nominee has achieved in respect of recruitment and workplace organising;

  • the impact the nominee has had on recruitment and retention;

  • details of any increase in membership or activists;

  • information concerning any positive difference made to the teachers within the school or workplace.

Representative of the Year Award

Nominations should include:

  • details of the most significant achievements in their Representative role;

  • information concerning the difference the nominee made for NASUWT members;

  • a brief statement on why the nominee became the Workplace Representative;

  • details of how the nominee made a positive difference to teachers within the school or workplace.

 

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Please use the forms on the right/below to make as many nominations as you want.

2025 Recruitment Awards

The Recruitment Awards were presented at Annual Conference 2025.

The 2025 Recruitment Awards winners are:

Award for Best Communication and Organising Activity Winner - Helen Doogan and Brian Banks

Helen and Brian are school reps and joined forces with a common desire to educate and empower members around the Workload Agreement 2024/2 and Directed Time Budgets. They set up Think 1265 to educate teachers about their employment rights and empower them defend those rights.

Helen Doogan, Armagh Craigavon Banbridge and Brian Banks, Belfast 

They created the Think 1265 website which contains all the information teachers need to understand their contract and tools to help members manage their workloads. This is supported by organising via social media and WhatsApp to provide advice to members and push the campaign forward in workplaces.

Award for Best Initiative or Campaign to Engage with Under-represented Groups Winner - Kat Downs

Kat is a passionate advocate for under-represented groups, representing members both regionally and nationally within the NASUWT and TUC. Kat is particularly vocal about the challenges facing teachers and other workers with hidden disabilities and neurodiversity.

Kat Downs, Leeds

She was integral to the success of the Yorkshire and Humberside region’s first equalities conference in 2024, both in planning the conference and delivering workshops and is already working to help deliver this year’s event.

Award for Recruiter of the Year Winner - Victoria Rhodes

Victoria Rhodes, Cheshire East

Victoria has worked tirelessly to improve working conditions for members in her school and has also been heavily involved with her local association to ensure members’ views are represented.

She has proactively engaged with both existing and potential members, fostering a sense of community and solidarity, and has utilised both face-to-face meetings and social media to connect with members, raise awareness about key issues, promote the association's activities and provide a platform for them to share their experiences, ideas, and concerns.


 

Award for Representative of the Year Winners - Sean Purcell

Sean Purcell, Thurrock

Sean was instrumental in a campaign to tackle excessive workload in his school.

He led members in a successful ballot for action short of strike action, which resulted in members being locked out of the school by management for six days. Sean supported members to maintain the action and remained outside the school during the working day for the duration of the lock out.

As a result of his dedication and leadership, NASUWT membership in the school doubled.


 

2024 Recruitment Awards

The Recruitment Awards were presented at Annual Conference 2024.

The 2024 Recruitment Awards winners are:

Award for Best Communication and Organising Activity Winner - Northern Ireland Officers

Our winners in the category of Best Communication and Organising Activity are the Northern Ireland Officers for their new communication and organising strategy, which resulted in their new NASUWT Northern Ireland magazine called 'Unitas'. 

Northern Ireland Officers

The Northern Ireland team listened to their members and launched the new magazine, which they use to bring a range of local issues into staff rooms for all our members. 

The Recruitment Committee also wanted to highly commend the work of our Enfield Association in achieving a great turnout in both recent ballots. In the second ballot, they achieved a remarkable association-wide turnout of 69%. This was largely due to the work led by joint local secretary Keith Kilkenny and caseworker Tony Cuffaro.  

Their success is also built on a firm foundation of active workplace reps and regular newsletters for members in schools, tailored to their own school in some way.  

Award for Best Initiative or Campaign to Engage Under-Represented Groups Winner - Candy Mellor

Candy Mellor, North Tyneside

The winner of Best Initiative or Campaign to Engage with Under-represented Groups is Candy Mellor.

Candy is the secretary of North Tyneside association and the chair of our North East equalities committee. 

Candy has gone above and beyond in supporting under-represented groups and individual members, both regionally and nationally, including by organising workshops at regional conferences on subjects including mental health, supporting disabled and LGBTI members and tackling racism. She has also been instrumental in promoting awareness of the menopause and developing regional policies.
 
Candy, thank you for all that you do to promote equality and make sure our Union is truly representative of the teaching profession.

Award for Recruiter of the Year Winner - Julian Moody

Julian Moody, Oxford City

Our Recruiter of the Year is Julian Moody. Julian works across the whole of the Oxfordshire federation as Recruitment Officer.

Julian represents NASUWT at recruitment events, ECT events and training and his services and talents are often called upon across the whole of the south-eastern region.

He makes a point of visiting the schools of all newcomers to Oxfordshire and delivering a welcome pack from Oxfordshire NASUWT. 

Julian has been a member of NASUWT for the last fifty-six years and his devotion to the union is inspiring.

Julian, thank you for a lifetime of commitment to our Union.

Award for Representative of the Year Winners - Kris Tyas and Kerry Haines

The Workplace Representatives of the Year are Kris Tyas and Kerry Haines.

Kris Tyas and Kerry Haines, Coventry

Kris and Kerry led their members tirelessly in a long-running dispute at their schools over pay. 

They held firm in the face of an employer who tried to plead every reason possible for not awarding teachers a significant pay increase. 

In the end, they helped win an award in line with that secured in the state-funded sector. 

Congratulations to both Kris and Kerry and thank you for your work representing the members in your schools.