National Association for Primary Education

Rosemary Evans Bequest Award

Are you a recently qualified early years / primary teacher (QTS gained since June 2016)?

Are you keen to reflect on your professional development as a classroom practitioner?

Are you keen to get something published in an educational journal and add it to your CV?

If so, we hope you will be interested in the Rosemary Evans Bequest Award to be given on an annual basis to the best article received for publication in Primary First from a recently qualified teacher. The award is for £200 and the theme can be selected from one of the following:

• The highlights and challenges of taking on your own class
• What do you see as the key principles and/or values which inform your approach to learning and teaching?
• How can teacher retention be improved?
• The global teacher for the 21st century.

The article should be between 1500 and 2000 words and you are welcome to select your own focus and title, but drawing on one of the above themes. The article should both critically explore aspects of your own experience and identity as a recently qualified teacher and be informed, where appropriate, by relevant literature. Your personal voice is seen as a key dimension of the writing.

The final date for submission for this academic year is 1 May 2019. It is to be submitted electronically in Word or PDF format to Robert Young, NAPE General Secretary at rmyoung1942@yahoo.co.uk. The Primary First Editorial Board will judge the submissions and it is anticipated that more than one submission will be considered for inclusion in the journal, although not in receipt of the Award itself. Further details about the Award can be requested from Robert Young.

Background and Criteria

As a result of a very generous bequest from the Rosemary Evans estate, the NAPE Council decided to make an annual award of £200 for the best article received from a recently qualified early years/primary teacher in the United Kingdom on a theme which we hope has particular salience for recently qualified teachers. The NAPE journal, Primary First, attracts contributions from distinguished educationists as well as current classroom practitioners at different stages of their careers and we see contributions from new teachers as making an important and very welcome contribution to educational discourse. We are pleased to announce that since the annual award was introduced in 2016, two primary teachers, new to the profession, have had their articles published in the Journal and have received the award.

The following criteria will be used for assessing the submissions:

• it meets the specifications regarding word-length and choice of theme;
• it is written with clarity, fluency and in a style which engages the reader;
• it illuminates the issues/topics being addressed with insight and informed judgement;
• it address aspects of the author’s own experience as a teacher with a perceptive and critical eye.
• it draws selectively and cogently on elements of relevant literature (which might include local and/or regional documents, published articles, key texts etc.), acknowledging sources, where appropriate.

RMY, 2 October 2018