Coleg Gwent Creative Arts Department Honoured in the Pearson National Teaching Awards

The Team from Coleg Gwent has been selected from thousands of nominations to win a Pearson National Teaching Silver Award. The Coleg Gwent Creative Arts Department was honoured with the Silver Award for Further Education Team of the Year for their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children they work with every day.  

The Creative Arts department offers a range of courses, from photography and media production to game design and music. The 40-strong Creative Arts Department was recognised for its innovative learning offering, which includes industry learning opportunities with the likes of Porsche automotive and the Welsh National Opera, exciting field trips, enriching extra-circular activities and wellbeing support.   

The Creative Arts Department has now been shortlisted to win one of just 16 Gold Awards, which will be announced and celebrated at a gala ceremony in London on 25 November and televised on the BBC, with winners showcased on The One Show.  

The honours have been announced on National Thank a Teacher Day, an annual event celebrating the role of educators across the UK for the valued role they play in communities and shaping young people. This year, students were joined by celebrities including Sir Michael Morpurgo, Edith Bowman, Bobby Seagull, Ore Oduba and Nadiya Hussain to mark their teachers’ achievements.   

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of excellence in education run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity now in its 25th year, that recognises the life-changing work that takes place in education, highlighting the vital role educators play and the work that’s delivered in schools and colleges every day. 

 Maria Retter, Head of School – Creative Arts said: “It makes me very proud to be part of the team that has won this prestigious award. We all go above and beyond every day to make a difference to the lives of the students we teach and it’s clear that this has been recognised here today. Congratulations all.”  

 Sharon Hague, Senior Vice President of Schools at Pearson UK, says: “We would like to congratulate today’s Silver winners on their incredible achievements.  We can’t underestimate the huge contribution schools make to our young people’s lives and Coleg Gwent’s Creative Arts Department is an inspiring example of the positive impact an individual can have on pupils and communities.”