What is the ESU-Rutland Teacher Award?
The ESU-Rutland Teacher Award recognises the transformational contribution of teachers in empowering the young people they work with through public speaking and debating.
Open to secondary school teachers at schools of all types in England and Wales; we particularly encourage applicants from teachers working in low socio-economic areas and state-run schools.
The award winning teacher will receive a £500 cash prize for themselves, an ESU CPD workshop for their school, and will be invited to accept their award at the prestigious Evelyn Wrench Lecture at Dartmouth House. The runner up will receive a £250 cash prize.
The Rutland Foundation takes pride in sponsoring projects aimed at boosting young people’s confidence, entrepreneurship and social mobility. Its founder is Chris Byrne, an alumnus of the ESU’s Public Speaking and Schools’ Mace debating competitions.
Applications for 2024-2025 are not open yet. Register your interest below to be notified when applications open.
We want to hear about you!
We know you go above and beyond for your students every day. Perhaps you’ve set up a debate or public speaking club at your school, or perhaps you’ve arranged outings for your students to participate in competitions or other oracy events? If so, tell us more – this award is for you!
Am I eligible for this award?
To apply for this award, you must:
- Be a current secondary school teacher in England or Wales.
- Have made efforts to develop oracy skills in your classroom above the standard curriculum teaching.
- You do not have had to have been involved with the ESU or have paid for our programmes to enter.
You’ll need some time to complete the full application form, as we want to hear all about you/your nominee’s oracy work. Some key things we’ll ask about are:
- Motivations for improving oracy
- Approach to improving oracy
- Any subject-specific or whole-school initiatives
- Outreach work, improving oracy in the wider community
- Evidence, examples and testimonials
- Future ambitions and plans to maintain and develop oracy provisions
Applications for 2024-2025 are not open yet. Register your interest below to be notified when applications open.
Why should I apply?
The winning applicant will receive a cash prize of £500 for themselves, along with a free CPD workshop for up to 25 teachers at their school. The runner up will receive a cash prize of £250 for themselves, and both will be invited to the prestigious Evelyn Wrench Lecture at Dartmouth House to receive their award from Chris Byrne and the ESU.
What is the timetable for the award?
The ESU Awards timeline is currently under review for 2025. For information on the 2024 timeline, please see below.
- 1 May 2024: Applications open
- 6 September 2024: Applications close
- w/c 16 September 2024: Judging
- 8 October 2024: Awards presentation at the Evelyn Wrench Lecture at Dartmouth House, London
How will I be assessed?
- You complete the relevant nomination form below
- All applications will be reviewed by the Education Team at the ESU and our judging panel
- We will contact our winner and runner up to congratulate them and invite them to receive their award
Applications for 2025 are not yet open. Register your interest below to be notified when applications open.
What criteria will I be judged on?
General
- Evidence of going above and beyond to upskill students in oracy
Inclusion
- Evidence of making efforts to include students that would otherwise not interact with oracy
- Evidence of improving oracy skills in students at all academic levels
- Evidence of how teacher’s contribution has positively impacted students’ social skills and friendships
Technical
- Evidence in developing our ESU 4 key oracy skillsets in students
- Expression and delivery
- Organisation and prioritisation
- Listening and response
- Reasoning and evidence
How does nomination work?
- You can nominate yourself or someone else for this award
- If you nominate yourself, you will be asked to provide a secondary reference
- To nominate yourself, please submit this form by 5pm on 6 September
- To nominate a colleague or friend, please submit this form by 5pm on 6 September
Applications for 2025 are not yet open. Register your interest below to be notified when applications open.
Registered charity number: 273136