Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who are top of the class are being sought by the county’s annual teaching awards.

The Kent Teacher of the Year Awards, open for nominations at www.kentteacheroftheyear.co.uk, will honour the county’s best school staff from valiant volunteers to industrious NQTs.

A key partner of the event has called for members of the public to submit at least one nomination before the March 8 deadline.

Alison Cogger, of Canterbury Christ Church University, said she was championing the NQT category because it “supports the work that we do with our partner schools, colleges and learning settings.”

Categories ensure that anyone making a difference at a school can be nominated. These include primary, secondary, team and volunteer - such as members of the PTA or governors - as well as non-teaching member of staff ranging from secretaries to dinner ladies.

Simon Dolby of the KM Charity Team, organising the awards, said: “NQTs are just starting out in their teaching careers so what better way to show them how well they’re doing than to nominate them for an award? A nomination is a real pat on the back for enthusiastic individuals who will be changing young lives for the better for many years to come.”

More than 50 staff and schools will be showcased at a glittering awards dinner this May hosted by Leeds Castle.

The 2016 judging panel includes representatives from Social Enterprise Kent, Loop CR Ltd, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Leeds Castle, Marlowe Theatre, Kent Sport and Physical Activity Service, Southern Educational Leadership Trust, Project Salus, Medway Council, Kent County Council, CXK, Kreston Reeves, and the following departments at the University of Kent: Politics and International Relations; Physical Sciences; Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science; Biosciences; European Culture and Languages; and History.