What Teaching Awards Trust does

Teaching Awards Trust is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1074968) that operates the Pearson National Teaching Awards, an annual recognition program with 16 categories spanning early years, primary, secondary, and further education across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Entries open in October and close in February; judging occurs March-April with virtual visits; Bronze and Silver winners are announced on Thank a Teacher Day in June, while Gold winners are announced live on BBC's The One Show or at the UK Ceremony in November. The Trust is governed by an independent board and a moderation panel chaired by a former Department for Education Director General, and operates with a small leadership team including CEO Steve Baker OBE.

The Trust runs a digital platform anchored on a WordPress-based online entry portal at teachingawards.com, where nominators submit entries, save drafts, and receive automated confirmations, alongside a searchable Winners Directory organized by year, category, region, and award level. A complementary Thank a Teacher Campaign operates on thankateacher.co.uk, allowing students, parents, and colleagues to send thank you cards to teachers. The organization partners with Pearson as headline sponsor, the BBC for television exposure, the Department for Education across five categories, Gaudio Awards for bespoke trophy design and manufacture, and a roster of media partners (FE Week, Schools Week, BBC Bitesize).

Commercially, the awards are free to enter for eligible settings; the Trust's revenue is sponsorship-based, drawing on headline, category, and media partnerships. No revenue, headcount, or funding figures are publicly disclosed. The strategic positioning relies on BBC reach, government and Pearson endorsements, a 60-plus volunteer judge panel, and year-on-year continuity since at least 2001, giving the program a category-defining position in UK teacher recognition despite its nonprofit structure.

Name

Teaching Awards Trust

Legal name

The Teaching Awards Trust

Website

https://teachingawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Teaching Awards Trust is a UK registered charity that runs the Pearson National Teaching Awards, an annual, free-to-enter recognition program with 16 categories spanning early years through further education across all four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Awards & Recognition

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

National/Institutional Accreditors (Career, Faith-Based, Distance, etc.) (EDADACAB)

Keywords

• Teaching excellence awards
• Education recognition program
• Annual teaching awards
• Teacher recognition scheme
• Education sector awards

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship: The charity operates through corporate sponsorship. Pearson serves as Headline Sponsor. Various organizations sponsor specific award categories including the Department for Education supporting multiple FE and Lifetime Achievement categories, Step Into Teaching supporting Secondary School category, PiXL supporting Partnership category, and The Sunday Times supporting Outstanding New Teacher category.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Teaching Awards Trust operates the Pearson National Teaching Awards, an annual awards program recognizing excellence among teachers, headteachers, teaching assistants, support staff, teams, and FE lecturers across the UK. The program comprises 16 categories covering early years, primary, secondary, and further education sectors, with three recognition tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold) culminating in a televised UK Ceremony and live Gold winner announcements on BBC's The One Show.

Product overview

The Teaching Awards Trust operates the Pearson National Teaching Awards program, an annual celebration of UK education excellence. The offering consists of a core awards program with 16 categories spanning Early Years, Primary, Secondary, and FE sectors, supported by an online entry portal built on WordPress. The platform also includes a winners directory searchable by year, category, region and award level, and the complementary Thank a Teacher campaign for public recognition. The 2026 awards feature Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers, with Gold winners announced at a UK Ceremony in November.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pearson National Teaching Awards Program An annual awards program celebrating excellence in teaching across the UK, recognizing teachers, headteachers, teaching assistants, teams, and FE lecturers through Bronze, Silver, and Gold award tiers across 16 categories spanning early years, primary, secondary, and further education.
• Online Entry Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 421 pages of winners listed from 2026 alone

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, primary and minor.

• Gaudio AwardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBespoke trophy manufacturer commissioned to create distinctive trophies for the Pearson National Teaching Awards since 2019. Designed by Stuart Sharples, Head of Design at Gaudio Awards. Trophies are made from partially-recycled aluminium using CNC machining and anodising processes.
• Department for EducationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment department supporting multiple award categories including Early Years Team of the Year, FE Lecturer of the Year, FE Team of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and Outstanding New Teacher of the Year.
• BBCprimaryGTM or Marketing PartnerBBC broadcasts The One Show segment featuring Gold winner announcements and covers the UK Ceremony, providing national television exposure for award winners.
• PiXL (Partners in Excellence)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupports the Award for School or College Partnership of the Year category.
• The Sunday TimesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupports the Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year category alongside the Department for Education.
• Step Into TeachingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupports the Award for Making a Difference - Secondary School of the Year category.
• Further Education Week (feweek.co.uk)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coverage of FE sector awards.
• Schools WeekminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing education news coverage including teaching awards.
• BBC BitesizeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBC educational resource supporting teaching awards coverage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arkwright Scholarships Trust: UK charitable trust that administers a recognised scholarship/awards programme for future engineers, funded by corporate sponsors and government partners. Direct structural parallel: charitable trust + corporate sponsorship + national recognition scheme in education.
• NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs): UK membership charity that runs the NASEN Awards recognising SEND provision and inclusive practice. Direct peer in operating a UK education awards programme for a specific sub-vertical within the same teaching community.
• Prince's Teaching Institute: UK education charity (legacy of The Prince's Teaching Institute) that runs subject-specific teacher CPD and recognition programmes. Comparable charitable structure focused on elevating teacher practice in UK schools, with similar educator audience.
• Varkey Foundation: Operates the Global Teacher Prize, the most internationally recognised teacher-recognition award, with corporate sponsorship (GEMS Education) and global media partnerships. Direct functional twin to the Teaching Awards Trust at a global scale.

Broad incumbents

• Teach First: Large UK education charity focused on teacher development and leadership, with corporate partnerships (e.g., Bank of America, PwC) and government relationships. Comparable as a high-profile education charity engaging UK teachers, though with a different mission (training vs. recognition).
• British Council: UK public body running international education programmes and awards (e.g., Study UK, international school partnerships). Comparable as a UK-based institution with government ties operating educator recognition at scale, though globally oriented.
• NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers): UK professional association and union for school leaders, runs leadership awards and recognition events. Comparable sector authority and audience overlap with senior educators recognised by the Teaching Awards Trust.
• Chartered College of Teaching: UK professional body for teachers, founded with government support and offering Chartered Status recognition. Comparable audience and sector authority, with some overlap in recognising teaching excellence, though structured as a membership body rather than awards programme.
• TES (Times Educational Supplement): Major UK education media brand that runs its own schools awards (TES Schools Awards) and covers teaching-recognition extensively. Comparable target audience (UK educators) and comparable media-driven awards format, though as part of a much broader commercial portfolio.

Others

• Gaudio Awards: Bespoke trophy manufacturer commissioned by the Teaching Awards Trust since 2019 to design and produce the distinctive Pearson National Teaching Awards trophies. Included as an adjacent ecosystem participant (supplier/vendor), not a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TeachingAwards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/PearsonNationalTeachingAwards
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheTeachingAwards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-teaching-awards
• Instagraminstagram.com/teachingawards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teaching Awards Trust