The education sector had a record number of 32 winners, including four special awards. There were more than 1,000 entries to the programme, organised by UK Skills for the Department for Education and Skills.
St Anne's Primary School in Derry, Northern Ireland, won the Investors in People Schools Special Award for an innovative programme that encourages parents to improve their skills and fosters links between school and home life. The school had developed its training to suit individual parents and since its introduction found pupils' performance improved significantly.
Another education winner was South Beach Community First School in Blyth, Northumberland, for implementing a range of training and development that led to a dramatic turnaround in its performance. Branded with 'serious weaknesses' in a 1998 Ofsted report, the school achieved beacon status last year. Irene Watson, the school's acting deputy head, said, 'Everyone at South Beach recognised the need to commit to a whole school focused programme of staff, pupil and parents' development.'
Training on offer included curriculum development and assessment and standards training for teachers, NVQs and English as a second language training for support staff, school development, monitoring and evaluation for governors, and 'helping your child to learn' for parents.
In Wales a scheme won an award for helping hundreds of primary school children to improve their reading skills. The Catch Up Project, run in four local education authorities - Rhondda Cynon Taf, Vale of Glamorgan, Flintshire and Powys, trained teachers and teaching assistants to understand why some children find learning to read difficult and offered a weekly ten-minute strategy for each pupil.
Anne Kenyon, Catch Up director for Wales, said, 'Teachers have gained an alternative, but effective, literacy tool, while teaching assistants have gained a professional understanding of the needs of struggling readers.'
Actress Joanna Lumley presented the special awards for outstanding achievement at a ceremony at London's Guildhall on 18 November.
The closing date for next year's awards is 30 April 2004. The website is at www.nationaltrainingawards.com.