Shining a light on outstanding practice

The awards, run jointly by the The Communication Trust and Pearson are now in their fifth year, and are particularly aimed at people working with children with, speech, language and communication needs.

There are a range of categories, including Early Years Setting of the Year. There is also a new category for 2017 of SEN School or Group of the Year Award.

Octavia Holland, director of The Communication Trust, said, ‘All children and young people deserve the opportunity to develop good speech, language and communication skills so they can thrive and make friends. The Shine a Light Awards gives individuals, teams, settings and young people a unique opportunity to shout about their achievements and for this best practice to be recognised across the sector.

‘Last year’s applications were outstanding. The Shine a Light Awards shows how lives can be enriched with dedication and commitment, particularly for the one million children and young people with long-term speech, language and communication needs. If it is your time to shine, we look forward to receiving your application.’

Chris Hall, director of clinical assessment at Pearson, said, ‘The continued popularity of the Shine a Light Awards proves how much is being achieved across the country to support young people with speech, language and communication, and this work is too often unrecognised.

‘It is an honour to be part of these exceptional awards and it is so important to share and celebrate these achievements so that we can continue to innovate and raise awareness of best practice.’

The closing date to enter is 12 January 2017 and the awards ceremony will be held on 23 March with a secret celebrity host.

• The awards website is now open for entries at www.shinealightawards.co.uk