Nominations are officially open for the 2025 MAT Excellence Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements within multi-academy trusts (MATs) and educational businesses across the UK. This prestigious event, now in its third year, continues to recognise exceptional contributions to the sector.

MAT Excellence Awards 2025!

This year, the MAT Excellence Awards are excited to announce the introduction of a brand-new award category: SEND award.

‘We are thrilled to introduce the SEND award this year. With over 1.6 million pupils in England having special educational needs*, the work being done to support young people in schools is incredibly important. This new award celebrates this inclusion and provision giving it the recognition it deserves.' said Steph Reynolds, Managing Director, Optimus Education. 

The 2025 MAT Excellence Awards will feature a range of categories, including CEO of the year, Community trust of the year, Company of the year, Wellbeing trust of the year, Staff development award and many more. Each category is designed to honour those who have gone above and beyond to improve educational outcomes for students.

The deadline for nominations is Sunday 15 December, with shortlist to be announced late February 2025.

A panel of esteemed judges, including experts from the education sector, will evaluate the nominations and select the winners. The judging process will be rigorous, ensuring that only the most deserving candidates are recognised for their exceptional contributions.

One of the judges for the new SEND award shared their thoughts on the significance of this new category:

‘I'm so excited about the new SEND award. Working in partnership with SEN students and families to ensure all students are empowered to achieve and be included is vital. This award will allow the excellent practice taking place in progressive MATs to be recognised and rewarded.’ - Samantha Garner - Mental Health and Inclusion Consultant, and Founder of Balanced People Ltd incorporating Balanced Schools

The winners of the 2025 MAT Excellence Awards will be announced at a gala event in London on 19 June 2025.

For more information on how to submit a nomination, visit the official MAT Excellence Awards website. Don’t miss the opportunity to recognise the extraordinary efforts of those shaping the future of education.

*Special educational needs in England, GOV.UK,  Academic year 2023/24