TIME is running out to nominate your education champions in this year’s Lancashire Telegraph School Awards.

Top teachers and students from across the region will be honoured in the annual awards which have been launched in a bid to celebrate and recognise the hard work and commitment put into developing youngsters each day in East Lancashire.

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The awards, which mark all the good work and dedication in the area’s schools, also highlight the innovation and best practice.

This year, we are on the look-out for nominations for 11 categories, with Special School Pupil of the Year being a new award for the 2015 event.

Awards categories include most inspirational teacher, unsung hero, best primary and best secondary headteachers.

Nominations for the awards are also being taken for outstanding primary and secondary pupils and the best schools.

Headteachers, and anyone else associated with a school, can nominate their own school.

There will also be a lifetime achievement award presented at the ceremony.

Cllr Mark Townsend, the leader of Burnley Council, said: “Teaching is a great profession so I absolutely support these awards.

“Education is a priority for East Lancashire as we want to enhance the skills of our young people so that they can achieve their full potential.

“Teaching is a very important profession and by recognising the best we have to offer will hopefully inspire others to be the best they can be.”

A spokesman for BAE Systems, which is sponsoring the inspirational teacher category, said: “Having inspirational teachers in the East Lancashire area to ensure the area has the skills required to keep businesses growing is important.

“We are recruiting more than 100 young people to our apprenticeship and graduate programmes in September and we again expect many of these to come from East Lancashire, so we recognise the value of a high-quality teaching.

“These awards help to celebrate the achievements of everyone who ensure this pipeline of talent continues to flow.”

The last date for receiving entries is Friday, May 22.