Entry for the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2025 is now open.

The Awards is the first and only scheme based in the UK to recognise great practice of pastoral care providers in the education sector and is now in its sixth year.

We have been delighted with the success of the NAPCE Awards since we launched in 2020 and the initiative continues to go from strength to strength.

The Presentation Ceremony at Worcestershire County Cricket Club in October 2024 was a sold out.

The closing date for all categories this year will be Monday, 12th May, 2025, but there’s no reason to wait, get your entries in now.

Just like in previous years, the finalists of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education will be selected by an independent judging panel and invited to attend the ceremony to share the experience with peers and find out who wins each Award.

Two brand new categories have been added to this year’s event, taking the total number of accolades up for grabs to ten.

The new awards are Special Recognition Award and The Lifetime Achievement Award.

NAPCE is inviting nomination in the following categories.

Pastoral School of the Year
Pastoral Team of the Year
Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
Pastoral Leader of the Year
Pastoral Development of the Year
Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
International Contribution to Pastoral Care
Special Recognition Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award

You can enter the NAPCE categories here https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/napce-awards-2025-entry-form

Nominations are encouraged for awards in different categories from schools and educational establishments and you DO NOT need to currently be a member of NAPCE to take part.

NAPCE Awards 2025 is an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and through our social media, website and those of our partners, the Awards raises awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

The Awards also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and will recognise the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

This is an opportunity to recognise the impact the work of pastoral staff is having on the achievement and well being of young people.

The decisions about prize winners in each category will be made by a panel of invited professionals who work in pastoral care.

There will be a prize of £100.00 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

The criteria for the NAPCE awards are;

• Pastoral School of the Year

A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school

• Pastoral Team of the Year

A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with

• Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year

A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success

• Pastoral Leader of the Year

Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with

• Pastoral Development of the Year

A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people

• Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care

An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people

• Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care

A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care

• International Contribution to Pastoral Care

An international school, organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care.

• Special Recognition Award

To recognise the high-quality pastoral care and support provided by and organisation or individual where it has been demonstrated that this has had a significant impact on supporting learners and that it has been sustained over a period of time.

• The Lifetime Achievement Award

To recognise the exceptional contribution made to pastoral care in education by an individual or organisation.

Nominations for the NAPCE Awards are welcome from member schools and institutions and from schools and institutions that are not currently members of NAPCE.

Following the highly successful National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024 in Worcester on October 11th, 2024, we are delighted to share the photo gallery for the event.

You are very welcome to use and share these images for your promotional purposes.

Please credit: NAPCE/Simon Hanagarth.

The winners of the fifth annual National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education were announced at a SOLD OUT event on October 11th in Worcester.

The Graham Hick Suite was bouncing at Worcestershire County Cricket Ground for the second Awards sell-out in a row where special guests included speaker Ellie Costello, Director of Team Square Peg, who won the Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care Award in 2023.

There was also entertainment in the form of talented emerging singer Sienna and a mighty impressive performance from Dancing Motion who hail from nearby Malvern.

The event enjoyed the support of a number of organisations through sponsorship and was slickly compered by NAPCE Chair Phil Jones.

Sponsors included the Association of School & College Leaders, Taylor & Francis, Schools Advisory Service (SAS), Eileen Donnelly Educational Development Limited, The Schools Consent Project, North London Collegiate School, Jeju, South Korea, Connect to Purpose and Global Equality Collective.

Once again the Awards received a record number of nominations and the standard to entry was described as “hugely impressive” on an “incredible night to remember”.

Entry for NAPCE Awards 2025 was announced on the night and opens on Saturday, October 12th, 2024. Entries can be made here https://napceawards.wufoo.com/forms/napce-awards-2025-entry-form

Here are the winners and finalists of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024.

Congratulations to all winners and finalists on your fantastic achievements.

National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024 – The Winners

A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school.

A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with.

A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success.

Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with.

A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference in pastoral care, for the benefit of young people.

An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people.

An international school, organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care.

The second NAPCE Symposium held at Stranmillis University College on June 24th was hailed a “huge success”.

The event featured an impressive range of guests speakers including Linsey Farrell, Deputy Permanent Secretary at DE and Nicola Byrne, Assistant Chief Inspector at ETI.

Delegates also heard good practice from some past winners of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education including Áine Deane, Sacred Heart Primary School, Derry and Raymond Herron, St Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School.

There was also a panel discussion, led by NAPCE National Chair Phil Jones and featuring Dr John McMullen, Queen’s University, Belfast (Educational Psychologist, Researcher and Educator), Jonny Hampton, Organisation Lead, Reach Mentoring, Niall Manogue, Principal, West Winds Primary School, Newtownards, Hannah Campbell, Nurture Leader and Programme Coordinator, St Patrick’s College, Dungannon and Sheila Lavery, Trauma Educator and Therapist.

Lead organiser of the event was NAPCe Journal Editor Professor Noel Purdy who opened the event.

For your information and reference, we are very pleased to share the presentation slides shown on the day with you below.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1w1xg1K4Yd5YjuFCYSIss_3VZHnN9OObF?usp=share_link

The second NAPCE Symposium took place on June 24th and has been hailed a “great success”.

The event, at Stranmillis University College, was a sell-out and featured a range of speakers including pastoral care experts and past winners of the National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education.

Lead organiser of the Symposium was NAPCE Journal Editor Professor Noel Purdy.

We are very pleased to share our image gallery from the event. All images by Greg McCready.

The Gallery

The finalists of the National Awards For Pastoral Care In Education 2024 have been unveiled.

Now in its fifth year, the NAPCE Awards is a leading event on the education calendar and nominees have been selected in eight categories by an independent panel of expert judges.

NAPCE National Chair Phil Jones announced that the standard of entries was “outstanding” and all nominees should be “incredibly proud” of their work.

The Awards was launched by NAPCE in 2019 and it will return for a third in-person presentation ceremony in October, having been online for the first two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

The NAPCE Awards is the first UK-wide scheme to recognise outstanding achievements across pastoral care in education settings.

It exists to shine a light on excellent practice in pastoral care and to celebrate the people making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.

It also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and recognises the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.

Mr Jones said:”Once again we received a record number of entries this year, smashing the previous high and it’s testament to the exciting way the Awards continues to grow and grow.

“Standards were extremely high this year and I’m told judging was not easy, with so many high class entries to consider.

“I continue to be excited by the geographical spread of the nominations and by the number of schools and colleges returning year on year to get involved.

“And I would like to offer huge congratulations to all who made the finals, with such a large number of nominations of the highest standard it’s a big achievement in itself.

“We now look forward to returning  to Worcestershire County Cricket Ground, in Worcester for a wonderful evening of celebrations in October and tickets for all finalists are FREE.

“Please make sure you book early to ensure you get your place at one of the education sector’s most important events of the year!”

To book tickets for the showpiece Presentation Evening on October 11th at Worcestershire County Cricket Ground, Worcester, click here: https://NAPCE_Presentation_24.eventbrite.co.uk

The Finalists

Pastoral School of The Year

(A school that can demonstrate a commitment to pastoral care and support for learners that makes a real difference in the progress and personal development of young people in the school)

Pastoral Team of The Year

(A team that works in pastoral care and can demonstrate a determination to support young people to achieve their full potential and a positive impact on the young people they work with)

Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year

(A member of staff who works in pastoral care and who always makes the extra effort to support young people to enable them to become effective learners and achieve success)

Pastoral Leader of Staff of the Year

(Has a passion for pastoral care that is shared with colleagues to inspire and motivate them to make a real difference in the lives of the young people they work with)

Pastoral Development of the Year

(A pastoral initiative or idea that has achieved positive outcomes and has improved the learning experience and future life chances, for young people)

Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care

(A person, group or organisation that has made a real difference for the benefit of young people in the area of pastoral care)

Raising Awareness About Pastoral Care

(An individual, group or organisation who through their actions have raised awareness about pastoral care or pastoral issues and encouraged positive improvements for the benefit of young people)

International Contribution to Pastoral Care

(An international school or organisation outside of the UK or an individual working in research or in an international school outside of the UK, that has promoted or delivered high quality pastoral care)

There will also be a prize of £100 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.

Grand Presentation for The National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education

Friday 11^th October 2024   Information and Tickets  at

https://NAPCE_Presentation_24.eventbrite.co.uk

Tickets available from 9-00am on Monday 3^rd June. Tickets for this event are limited so please book early.

Join NAPCE for a brilliant Pastoral Professional Development Opportunity at the same venue on the same day.

The Annual Conference – October 11^th -2024 – 10-00am until 4-00pm

Good Practice in Pastoral Care in Education – NAPCE Conference 2024

Also on Friday, October 11th (daytime). This event will include brilliant presentations from national experts in pastoral care and previous winners of National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education sharing their good practice.

Information and tickets at https://2024-napce-annual-conference.eventbrite.co.uk