Nominations are being sought for awards which aim to recognise and encourage excellence in education in Suffolk.

Excellent teachers, dedicated support staff, committed school governors and hard-working young people can now be nominated for an award to recognise their efforts.

The first ever Raising the Bar Awards, launched by Suffolk County Council as part of their response to the ‘No School an Island’ enquiry into educational standards in the county, will celebrate success and endeavour as a way of sharing best practice.

Raising the Bar judges want to hear about brilliant school governors, efforts made by members of the community to ensure young people get the best education possible, or the determination of a young person to learn.

Nominations can be made to 12 categories in total with the winners being announced in March 2014.

Lisa Chambers, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for education, skills and young people, said: “Individuals and groups who have made a significant contribution to delivering high quality education in our county should receive the recognition they deserve.

“The Raising the Bar Awards are about rewarding ambition, hard work and excellence within Suffolk’s education system.

“By celebrating success, we hope to raise awareness of these achievements across the county and see best practice adopted more widely.”

The awards are open to all publicly-funded educational establishments including Early Years Foundation Stage providers through to colleges within Suffolk.

Nominations can be made by anyone – teachers, support staff, governors, parents, pupils, community members – and can be self nominations or nominations of others. The deadline is 11am on Wednesday, February 12.

The awards categories are as follows: Innovation in Education and Skills; Excellence in Achievement; Teaching Excellence; Educational Leader of the Year; Visionary Management; Governor, Trustee or Non-Executive of the Year; Partnership in Education (sponsored by East of England Co-op); Support Staff of the Year; Young Person of the Year (three awards based on age groups); Business Partner of the Year sponsored by Spring; Volunteer of the Year sponsored by Mark Harrod; and Significant Contribution to Education in Suffolk.

To make a nomination or to find out more about the criteria for each of the award categories, visit www.rtbawards.co.uk