The AGBIS Awards 2025

Three AGBIS Awards are presented at the AGBIS Annual Conference in March each year. These are the School of the Year, Clerk of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The awards will be presented at the QEII Centre, London, on Wednesday 19th March 2025, during the Annual Conference and AGM. Shortlisted nominees will be notified in advance and invited to attend the reception and awards ceremony.  A small panel of experts, comprising AGBIS representatives and other sector professionals, will be convened to judge the nominees and decide on each award. Schools and individuals are free to nominate themselves or others for consideration.

Please see below the criteria and links to complete your nomination for each award:

School of the Year Award

Please nominate a school who you think should be awarded School of the Year. The criteria for this award is as follows:

  • Demonstrable positive engagement with AGBIS during the past year.
  • Positive evidence of effective / imaginative governance (via for example a review by AGBIS or another provider – we’d need to see the report and evidence of actions arising).
  • Evidence of governors’ commitment to appropriate training.
  • Focus on strategy.
  • Compliant inspection with positive ‘grades’ where applicable.
  • Evidence of good working relationships at senior level.
  • Evidence of effective stakeholder engagement/ communications.
  • Evidence of clear distinction between governance and management.
  • Evidence of dealing with safeguarding effectively.
  • Evidence of commitment from Board level to principles and practice of EDIE.
Nominate a school here

Clerk of the Year Award

Please nominate a person who you think should be awarded Clerk of the Year. The criteria for this award is as follows:

  • Evidence of Governor engagement with AGBIS training events
  • Attendance at (at least) one AGBIS Clerks’ webinar/seminar in an academic year
  • Involvement in AGBIS Clerks’ coffee and catch-up sessions in an academic year
  • Evidence of improvements to governance within their school during the year, e.g., putting an effective Governance Manual in place
  • Evidence of promoting and organising a programme of governor visits to demonstrate ‘How do governors know?’
  • Evidence of keeping governors strategic not operational, e.g., in minutes
  • Evidence of effective relationships with the Chair and Head, e.g., via regular meetings
Nominate a Clerk here

Lifetime Achievement Award

Please nominate a person who you think should be awarded the Lifetime Achievement award. The criteria for this award is as follows:

  • Evidence of professional contributions at a high level and in a sustained way (over several years) to leadership and governance in the independent sector. 
  • Normally to be awarded when someone reaches the end of their career, retires or steps down after serving at a high level/ with great influence.
Nominate here