Northumbria celebrates success at the Educate North Awards

Northumbria University has been recognised for the support it provides to students and other young learners after scooping two awards, and highly commended in a third category, at the prestigious Educate North Awards.

The University was shortlisted in an impressive five categories overall – showcasing some of the innovative work under way to support those who study at Northumbria and to encourage wider engagement with Higher Education.

The Educate North Awards celebrate achievements across the Higher Education, Further Education and Sixth Form sectors in the North of England with submissions invited to 25 different categories. Winners were announced at the eleventh annual awards evening held in Manchester on 3 April, and hosted by journalist and TV presenter, Ranvir Singh.

In the Campaign of the Year category, Northumbria’s NU ALLSTARS partnership offer for schools in the North East of England was named the winner.

The scheme offers students at partner schools an extensive package of activities and guidance, designed to build knowledge, skills, and opportunities and to support their progression into higher education, with a focus on Northumbria University. The partnership includes a range of benefits that target the following areas – Access, Life, Learning, Supporting Transition, Attainment Raising, and Study (ALLSTARS).

ALLSTARS has resulted in enhanced relationships with schools such as Bede Academy in Blyth, which is now able to offer a new T-Level in health programme, aimed at supporting young people with an interest in pursuing careers in healthcare. ALLSTARS has resulted in a five per cent increase in applications from ALLSTARS schools and colleges between 2023/24 and 2024/25 alone.

In the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Initiative Award category, the STEM communities project, led by NUSTEM at Northumbria University in collaboration with Woodhorn Mining Museum in Ashington, was named the winner.

NUSTEM works with schools across the North East region to provide activities and opportunities for children to engage with the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

As part of the STEM Communities project, the team worked closely with staff at Woodhorn to build a community of family scientists in Northumberland, supported by funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Aimed at families with children aged between eight and 11 from schools in the area local to Woodhorn, the project seeks to engage families and carers from some of the most socio-economically deprived areas of the UK by using science and technology blended with local heritage. The project started with workshops in schools for children and families and there is now a STEM community that comes together to explore different areas, which meets regularly at the museum.

Northumbria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing team were highly commended in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Award category in recognition of improved support for students thanks to the implementation of a new delivery model that eliminates waiting lists and provides tailored care without increasing resource dependency. By integrating quick access pathways, self-booking options, and diverse interventions, the service ensures students receive timely and effective support – decreasing waiting times and improving engagement.

Two further categories also featured work at Northumbria on the shortlist; Northumbria’s Student Accessibility and Inclusion Team were in the running for the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Award; and Northumbria Students’ Union was shortlisted in the Mental Health and Wellbeing category.

Speaking about the University’s success in the Educate North Awards, Professor Graham Wynn, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) at Northumbria University said: “This recognition from the judges of the Educate North Awards is a clear sign of the excellent work under way at Northumbria to continually improve students’ study success and access to higher education.

“The awards reflect Northumbria’s commitment to developing initiatives and collaborations that empower our students to achieve their life ambitions through success in higher education. They are exemplars of the very best innovations and collaborations in the sector. I congratulate the many colleagues and partners involved in all of the shortlisted projects for their outstanding achievements.”

Emeritus Professor Ruth Ashford, Deputy Head Judge of the Educate North Awards, said the event was a vital showcase for breakthroughs, developments and best practice across the North of England.

She added: “We bring together judges from across academia, business and from across the country to focus on the record numbers of entries we receive and the high standards we see which underlines the commitment and high bar the North can achieve for the whole of the UK.”

Discover more about the support available on your journey to Northumbria University by visiting northumbria.ac.uk