Commenting on the awards, Kevin Courtney and Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretaries of the National Education Union, said: “All our representatives and officers do a vital job building the union in schools and colleges across the UK. They are the lifeblood of what we do and play a vital part in NEU campaigns. We congratulate all of this year’s winners.”

Two national-level awards recognise exemplary work at local level. They are presented to:

Katherine Noonan: Representative of the Year

Kat is the NEU’s school representative for the NEU at The Rowan School in Sheffield. She has received praise for her work in challenging proposals to academise her school, working with staff to present a credible alternative for governors. The campaign involved ballots and strong parental engagement, and successfully brought an end to the school’s plans. In her nomination she is praised for speaking to every teacher “to form a picture of what her members want – she fights for that”.

Nicholas Jones: Officer of the Year

Nik Jones is an officer in the County Durham District. He was nominated for this award for the development of a regional campaign called NEU Ideas, which introduces the concepts of trade unionism to trainee teachers. This early engagement has proven highly effective in showing new teachers what a union can provide for its members. He has also played a significant role in County Durham NEU’s wider work, including the promotion of key campaigns. Indeed, the nomination says that “Campaign is Nik’s middle name!”

In addition we can announce ten regional/Wales Representative of the Year Awards and nine regional/Wales Officer of the Year Awards.

The winners of the 2018/19 Regional/Wales Representative of the Year Awards are:

Northern:                 Yvonne Noble

North West:              David Moorhead

Yorkshire/Humber:   Katherine Noonan

East Midlands:          Georgina Wilband

West Midlands:         Roisin Mendonca and Samuel Hampton                   

Eastern:                   Jill Borcherds

South East:               Fiona Simpkin

South West:              Corinne Lamoureux

London:                    Jennifer Cooper

Wales:                      Geraint Williams

The winners of the 2018/19 Regional/Wales Officer of the Year Awards are:

Northern:                 Nicholas Jones    

North West:              Natasha Shears

East Midlands:          Camille London Miyo

West Midlands:         Jean Evanson

Eastern:                   Scott Lyons

South East:               Jade Bascombe

South West:              Nicholas Preston

London:                    Vendathal Premkumar

Wales:                      John Owen

ENDS

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Note to editors:

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  • The National Education Union stands up for the future of education. It brings together the voices of more than 450,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff and leaders working in maintained and independent schools and colleges across the UK, to form the largest education union in Europe.
  • It is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing its members in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
  • The National Education Union is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). It is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.