The Thank a Teacher campaign is only open to schools in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. If you send a card (printed or digital) outside of this geographical area your card will not be sent.
The Thank a Teacher campaign recognises ALL staff working in UK early years, schools and colleges; school leaders, teachers, teaching assistants, and all support staff such as lunchtime supervisors, caretakers and cleaners currently working in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland whether state maintained or independent. This includes staff working in online schools and those involved in School-centred Initial Training (SCITT) programmes. The eligibility for the Pearson National Teaching Awards is subject to the award category eligibility criteria which is subject to change
There is no limit to the number of thank yous an individual can submit.
Details of the thank you will be sent to the Headteacher / Deputy Head of the person thanked unless you request to remain anonymous on the form.
Thank yous sent by email will be sent directly to the email address provided. If no email is provided emails will be sent to the school office and/or Headteacher to forward.
The Teaching Awards will not pass on your details to anyone making an enquiry about the person thanked. Any enquiries of this nature will be directed to the Headteacher / Deputy Head at the school at whose discretion this information will be disclosed.
The term ‘person thanked’ refers to a head, deputy head, teacher, teaching assistant, support staff, school team, lecturer or FE team thanked.
The Teaching Awards Trust cannot accept posthumous thank yous or thank yous for retired practitioners no longer working in schools.
If the person thanked moves schools prior to receiving their thank you card, it will be the responsibility of the school to which the card was sent to forward on the thank you card.
The Teaching Awards shall reject any thank you messages deemed inappropriate.
Individuals may write as many thank yous as they wish provided each one is submitted online.
The person thanked and the person writing the thank you message give all consents necessary for The Teaching Awards to produce publicity material based on the thank you message and agree to do so without financial reward.
Submitting a thank you to The Teaching Awards is deemed acceptance of these rules and agreement to be bound by them. By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions, you also agree to our general website terms and conditions.
The Teaching Awards Trust reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time by posting changes online.
Unsung Hero Nomination Process
- A nomination is defined as the completion and submission of a Thank you that you have opted to put forward as an Unsung Hero nomination as per the instructions provided on the Unsung Hero page . Nominations received by any other means will not be accepted.
- The nomination can be completed by any member of the public who wishes to nominate a staff member in an eligible setting, who they deem to be an Unsung Hero.
Award Scheme Administration
- All Unsung Hero nominations must be received by 5pm on Friday, 30th January 2026, for the 2026 awards year. Nominations submitted after this deadline, or incomplete entries at the time of the deadline, will not be accepted.
Should the nomination be shortlisted by the judges:
- The Teaching Awards Trust will inform headteachers/principals that the nomination has been successful and is deemed a Bronze Winner in The Pearson National Teaching Awards, pending their approval. NB If the headteacher is the nominee, the deputy head will be informed. If a nominator has not provided the headteacher’s/principal’s email, the main school email will be used (FAO SLT).
- The Headteacher will be given the option to add to the nomination and make it a full award entry against the Unsung Hero award criteria. progress. This gives them the opportunity to convert the nominee from a Bronze PNTA Unsung Hero to a Silver Winner or even Gold.
- The Teaching Awards Trust has the right to withdraw a nomination if it becomes clear that it lacks approval from the SLT or if any part of the nomination is found to be false, misleading, or self-written by the nominee.
- If the nomination is progressed into the Awards but cannot be judged on the agreed date, rescheduling will be attempted, but if impossible, the entry may be deferred to the following year.
Communications
- The nominator will receive an email confirmation of their Unsung Hero nomination.
- The nominee will receive a free thank you e-card with your thank you message. They will not know about your ‘secret’ Unsung Hero nomination.
- The Teaching Awards will not disclose the identity to anyone enquiring about the nomination without permission. Any enquiries of this nature will be directed to the nominator, who can choose whether to disclose the information.
