We are proud to announce that Etone are in the running for three highly prestigious awards at the Education Awards 2026. The categories that we are hoping to be successful for are:
School of the Year
Headteacher of the Year – Mr Smith
Lifetime Achievement Awards – Mrs Stafford
The year marks the special 10th anniversary celebration of the awards creation, itself a celebration of the fantastic efforts of educators and organisations who put their heart and souls into making schools a positive experience for their young people. The Midlands Awards take place at the Millenium Point in Birmingham in July, with the national awards in London around Christmas time. The Midlands awards are sponsored by Birmingham City University which is an institute Etone has close links to, providing support to their teacher training programme, accessing enrichment opportunities for potential university students and taking part in projects that look to grow relationships between education phases.
The nominations are a recognition of the hard work leaders and staff at Etone have put into the school for over a decade. Together with Barr Beacon, Etone established the Matrix Academy Trust which now boasts over 10 schools and a very successful BB SCITT programme for aspiring teachers. The efforts at Etone over the years has been truly transformative with the school coming achieving consistently strong Ofsted inspections, positive exam results for every year since records began and even awarded Community School of the Year in 2025 for their fundraising efforts.
A large part of that success has stemmed from the steady and careful leadership of Mr Smith. Having joined the school in April 2017 his decade long headship so far has allowed for sustained success, navigating the tricky difficulties sin the world of education paired with the complexities of life such as the Covid pandemic. Whilst not an individual who aspires to hold the spotlight, his dedication to the school and the individual pupils is inspiring making him the perfect role model for Etone pupils. His achievements throughout this time deserve no less than this nomination, so well done Mr Smith!
The nomination for Mrs Stafford in the Lifetime Achievement category is equally deserved. Having served in the world of education for more than three decades she has established herself as not only an expert teacher, but a dedicate leader in helping new and existing teachers deliver the best lessons possible to pupils. In an illustrious career she has led on supporting newly qualified members of staff as they enter the realm of teaching, supported Geography teachers across the country in achieving excellent outcomes for pupils, helped develop programmes in the world of Workload and Wellbeing, Mental Health and the entire Personal Development curriculum to name just a few achievements. Her roles include; Deputy Headteacher, School Improvement Lead on Personal Development, Education Evidence Lead for the EEF, Lead Examiner in Geography and an all round model educator. We are extremely proud of her achievements and wish her all the best at the final awards.
Speaking of the nominations Mr Smith had the following to say: “When I heard about the nominations, I was once again thrilled to hear that Etone had been recognised for the contributions it makes to the Nuneaton area. Whilst education is never an easy industry it is one that we all care deeply about and have invested heavily in. I am overjoyed to hear of Mrs Stafford’s nomination for the Lifetime Achievement award, an honour she truly deserves. Regarding the nomination for myself, I have to say I am a little embarrassed however, it is lovely to be nominated and to have the last decade recognised in some way.”
Wish us luck in the awards which take place on Friday 3rd July at the Millennium Point in Birmingham.
