Talented educators shortlisted for Let Teachers SHINE 2025

Twenty-eight top teachers have been shortlisted for this year’s Let Teachers SHINE awards.

Each has proposed an innovative idea to improve education, with the chance to receive up to £25,000 in funding, along with expert support to bring their vision to life.

Next week, they will present their proposals to judging panels taking place over five days, where the most promising ideas will be selected for funding.

Let Teachers SHINE is an annual competition organised by education charity SHINE that supports early-stage initiatives aimed at removing barriers to learning that hold back disadvantaged children.

Past winners include Bruno Reddy, creator of Times Tables Rock Stars, and Lucy Huelin, founder of Vocabulous.

This year’s finalists – mainly from the North of England – have put forward ideas spanning all stages of education from early years to age 19.

The finalists are:

  • Michelle Swallow and Amanda Leary from Bradford College, Bradford – 360 learning lab
  • Sarah Featherstone, early years teacher from Sheffield – Blossom Parental Engagement Impact Study
  • Andy Saville, from Sheffield Springs Academy, Sheffield – Boys Impact
  • Alice Bibby, from Hatchell Wood Primary Academy, Doncaster – Chatter Champions
  • Amy Deane, from LIPA Sixth Form College, Liverpool – Consolidance Maths
  • Adam Unwin-Berrey, from Lift Schools – Core knowledge for primary maths
  • Joanne De Groot, from Our Lady of Pity RC Primary, Greasby, Merseyside – Diagnostic maths assessment
  • Jayne Webster and Caroline Peters, from St Mary’s Catholic College, Ellesmere Port – Dynamic Representations
  • Tom Rye, from Bolingbroke Academy, London – Fast Feedback
  • Ruth Coleman, from Highfield Nursery School, Ipswich – Highfield Resilience Tracker
  • Stephen Parker, from St Cuthberts RC Primary School, Crook, County Durham – Maths is Magic
  • Louise McManus-Ling, from Burnside Academy, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland – My Visual Memory
  • Naomi Lord, from Bolton School, Bolton – Playful Expression
  • Benjamin Barker, from King’s Leadership Academy Wavertree, Liverpool – Progress Checker 2.0
  • Nicola Crompton, from Cumberland Virtual School, Carlisle – Reading Champions
  • Ashleigh Blakemore, from Thorpe Hesley Primary School, Rotherham – Reading Fluency Booster
  • Shecaniah Morgan, from Horncastle Primary School, Lincolnshire – SENDsational Stories
  • Michael Good and Natalie Elton, from Stoneferry Primary School, Hull – Spelling Made Simple
  • Phil Latham, from Macmillan Academy, Middlesbrough – The Endeavour Convening Partnership
  • Samantha Tallintire, from Southmoor Academy, Sunderland – The Mathematical CPD Library
  • Karen Edmenson, from Hemligton Hall Academy, Middlesbrough – Therapeutic Intervention
  • Richard McNicholas, from Barnsley Academy, Barnsley – UL x Boys Impact
  • Simon Blight, from INMAT, Northamptonshire – Using Feedback to Improve Outcomes
  • Vicky Readshaw, from Bridlington Nursery School, Bridlington – Woodwork Project for EYFS
  • Ashlea Pettigrew-Stoll, from All Saints Primary School, Gorton, Manchester – Words of Strength

Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE, said: “The calibre of applicants this year was outstanding, and I want to thank everyone who applied. Selecting the finalists was incredibly difficult, which speaks to the strength of the ideas put forward. Being shortlisted is a significant achievement, and we congratulate all the finalists.

“We look forward to learning more about their projects during the interviews.”

The winners will be announced later this year.

Let Teachers SHINENews