A BRAND new awards event which celebrates the hard work and dedication of education staff in Clackmannanshire was held last week.

The inaugural Towards Excellence Awards was held at Lornshill Academy recently with a huge number of high-quality nominations across seven categories.

School improvement was the first category which was won by the young carers at Lornshill Academy.

The group, led by Jackie Ferguson, Leila Frondigoun and Kirsty McKay, provide practical support to young carers including a homework group and relaxation sessions.

There was then the award of star performer in teaching which was won by Laura MacDonaldm, who is also at Lornshill.

Laura runs the young enterprise team and cheerleading club as well as implementing coffee mornings for parents and carers.

Next up was the school leadership category which was claimed by the Lornshill parliament, led by Richard Burrell, Rebecca Cree, Robyn Kirstein and Tom Black.

With over 200 student members, the parliament increases the student voice in shaping the direction of the school.

The team of the year in Clackmannanshire was awarded to Banchory Primary School staff which staved off competition from nursery teams from Strathdevon and Coalsnaughton.

A hotly-contested teacher professionalism award was won by Gillian Freeland and Emma Cuthbert for their project in developing a young work force at Alloa Academy.

Gillian and Emma had their pupils on trips to New York and Italy as well as making sure every fourth year pupil had a work experience placement.

Next up was a prize for the best parental engagement which was scooped by St Serf’s nursery class, led by Veronica Vasquez and Sarah Burden.

The nursery developed a plan to enhance parental engagement based on PEEP but also tailored specifically to parents' needs.

The final award on the night was for the star performer among support staff.

Melanie Rafferty, a learning assistant at Muckhart PS, walked away with the gong for her efforts in nurturing every child she works with.

One child said of Melanie: "Mrs Rafferty makes it fun because she finds games to do."