MULTI-award winning Gwent design agency Icon Creative Design is backing the South Wales Argus Schools and Education Awards 2020 by sponsoring the Head Teacher of the Year category.

The news comes as it is announced that nominations to the awards has been extended until midnight, Sunday December 1.

Icon, a full service design agency established in Newport in 1998, provides design solutions for a variety of local and regional organisations in both print and digital formats.

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Androulla Webb, creative director and founder of the design agency and a graduate of Newport College of Art and Design, said: “We’re delighted to be backing these very important education awards.

“Education is one of our key sectors and we’ve had clients across the spectrum from leading universities to learning providers including Swansea University, Kings College London, Newcastle University, Sport Swansea and CAVMS (Cardiff and Vale Music Services).

“We can advise schools, colleges and universities on their branding, advising on all aspects of their touch points from signage, web, printed reports and social media.

“Icon has been fortunate to be working with the inspiring Ballet Cymru, which runs a DUETS and pre-professional dance programme for young people in South Wales as well as being the creative partner for the Westfield Health British Transplant Games which was hosted in Newport this year."

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Androulla Webb

Icon continues to nurture and employ local graduates. Ms Webb has also provided portfolio advice to students at local universities and is passionate about developing confidence in young people through their educational work.

She said: “We are excited to be sponsoring the Head Teacher of the Year award. Head teachers have great responsibility in driving the ethos of a school and from experience, we find that it is quite often their motivation, skills and experience that will lift a school, drive standards or indeed continue to maintain high quality levels.

“Head Teachers need to be talented mediators, engaging with a variety of stakeholders including parents, teachers, examination boards, local authorities yet at the same time be approachable and open to the needs of their pupils.

“Supporting this award is an endorsement from the team at Icon Creative Design of the great work and respect that we have for these leaders who are at the forefront of shaping the education sector as we know it.

But why should people make nominations to these important awards?

Ms Webb said: “There are so many great people working in the education sector and quite often, recognition isn’t a priority. Workloads can be tireless and constant. The awards are an opportunity to acknowledge not just the inspiring work of individuals but also the role that all staff and pupils make in generating a fantastic school, college or pre-school environment. Registering a nomination doesn’t take long and can be hugely rewarding for both the pupils and staff.

“In our work, we are constantly surprised at the variety of initiatives that schools and colleges undertake - from fundraisers, approaches to tackling attendance rates, participating in sports and arts activities, there’s a host of stories that are crying out to be shared and celebrated.

“We’ve also seen a welcome growth in Welsh medium education with more and more youngsters developing their bilingual skills. We’ve seen the benefit of using both languages and much of our creative work is crafted in Welsh or English. We are also an international community and having good language skills has aided our ability to work with overseas students in languages such as Mandarin, Arabic and Spanish.

"The South Wales Argus Schools and Education Awards gives a chance for people and places to shine. The awards focus on celebrating the best in the area and with the choice of categories, we believe that there really can be something for every nursery, school or college to get involved with.

“Those in the teaching profession value the endorsement of their peers and as sponsors, we are firm believers that opportunities like The South Wales Argus Education Awards are one of the best ways to enable recognition to be achieved. And we hear the awards night is a great night out.

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“The energy and ambition found in the education sector is second to none and recognition at prestigious awards like these can generate a positive feel-good factor. The awards can also be a great tool to not only give praise to innovative professionalism but to also share great case studies and examples on how to approach common problems.

“As sponsors, we’d encourage as many people to submit an entry - you won’t regret it.”

The deadline for submitting nominations to the South Wales Argus Schools and Education Awards 2020, which showcase the valuable work done by individuals and teams both inside and outside the classroom, has now been extended until midnight on Sunday, December 1.

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The lead sponsor of the awards is the University of South Wales.

Other sponsors include Western Power Distribution, Coleg Gwent, George Street Furnishers, Hughes Forrest, Monmouthshire Building Society, South East Wales Adoption Service, Wales and West Utilities, Melin Homes and Monmouthshire Freemasons. St John's College, Cardiff, has sponsored the table centres.

It is easy to nominate a school, teacher, lecturer or other educational establishment at the new Schools and Education Awards website. For more information and details on how you can make a nomination for one or more of the 15 awards visit www.southwalesargus.co.uk/schoolsandeducationawards