Blair Peach award | National Education Union

About the Blair Peach award

The award is named after the past president of East London NUT who was murdered during an anti-racist demonstration in Southall, London on 23 April 1979. It was first awarded in 2010.

On the day of his death, Blair Peach was showing solidarity and marching against the presence of the far-right National Front.

Modern day equivalents to the National Front continue to promote racist and fascist views. The reason the NEU supports the work of organisations such as HOPE not hate, Unite Against Fascism, Show Racism the Red Card, Kick It Out and the Hamilton Commission.

The award will take the form of a certificate signed by the general secretaries.

All lay members are eligible for the award with the exception of paid officials or staff of the union and executive members.

Criteria for the Blair Peach award

The Blair Peach Award seeks to meet some of the following aims at district/branch/school level:

developing effective union/school leadership and a whole division/school approach to equality and diversity;
acknowledging and celebrating existing good practices in equality work at district/branch/school level;
building on existing equality and diversity work in districts/branches and schools;
supporting and sharing equality and diversity work in all regions and Wales;
encouraging innovation and new developments in equality work in schools and in union activity;
providing a mechanism for celebrating the work of the union’s equality officers; and
showcasing ways in which teachers use the curriculum to promote equality and prevent prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes.

The award will be granted to individual members or groups of members who have made significant and exemplary contributions to LGBT+, race, gender, and/or disability equality in their school or division.

The award will take the form of a certificate signed by the General Secretaries.

All lay members are eligible for the award with the exception of paid officials or staff of the Union and Executive members.

What could be included?

Exemplary contributions to a district/branch/school could include increasing participation and representation of LGBT+, black, women or disabled members, for example through the integration of equality perspectives into casework; increased accessibility or equality monitoring; or the development of new equality-specific district and branch/school initiativessuch as for the anti-racist framework, LGBT History Month, the Preventing Sexual Harrassment tooklkit or the Disability Equality Toolkit.

Further exemplary contributions to a school could be evaluated on the basis of the impact on pupils, teachers, and other members of the school community. These may have occurred in conjunction with pre-existing initiatives such as for example, International Women’s Day or Holocaust Memorial Day or the development of school equality strategies or projects. The contribution should have made a significant impact in reshaping or adding new elements to pre-existing initiatives in order to be considered for the award.

The Awards Panel will give particular consideration to nominations which demonstrate innovation and initiatives in promoting equality and diversity in a school or division/association.

Deadline for nominations is Friday 15th January 2027 at 5pm

How to nominate a member

Nominate a member by completing the application form.

Previous winners

Ruth Osman, Monmouthshire

Ruth has worked tirelessly to support and empower disabled members at district, Wales and national level, particularly in a context where disabled members in Wales have historically been under-represented and less likely to self-identify. Her work has helped change this culture in a practical, supportive and lasting way.

In January 2024, Ruth organised and led the first ever NEU Disabled Members Conference in Wales, held in Cardiff. She then organised and led the first Disabled Members’ Day in Wales, which was extremely well received and led to increased engagement.

Ruth brings kindness, fairness and deep empathy to her work. Having faced serious health challenges herself, she ensures disabled members feel listened to, valued and supported. Her work is compassionate, inclusive and impactful.

João Felix, Rhondda Cynon Taf

In 2025, João demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and social justice. He consistently attended and participated in demonstrations and marches throughout the year, frequently taking on leadership roles and helping to mobilise others.

A major achievement during the year was João’s leading role in establishing the Stand Up To Racism branch in the South Wales Valleys. Stand Up to Racism Valleys, and João, played a key role in opposing the far-right and contributing to the defeat of Reform in the Caerphilly by-election. João also played a key role in educating and canvassing against Reform in Caerphilly.

Throughout all of this, João has always sought to raise the role of the NEU and to make members more active in the work of social justice - he mobilised members to participate in counter-demonstrations and anti-racist work with Stand Up to Racism. Beyond local activism, João showed total dedication to international causes, including Palestine and Sudan, advocating tirelessly for human rights and global solidarity.