Cllr Gary Millar announced as guest judge for Educate Awards

Gary Millar (centre) with year 6 pupils from Whitefield Primary School

The Educate Awards are thrilled to announce that Liverpool’s new Cabinet Member for Business, Enterprise and Investment, Councillor Gary Millar will be joining the judging panel for this year’s Educate Awards.

Perhaps best known as the city’s immediate past Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Millar spent a huge amount of his time meeting and engaging with a vast number of Liverpool schools, and he views the opportunity to judge the awards as a chance to extend this reach across all the boroughs in the City region.

Gary said: “I’m delighted to be judging the Educate Awards. I have attended the awards before and was inspired by the standard of entries.

In my time as Lord Mayor of the best City in the world I had the honour of meeting a huge variety of amazing schools and students, celebrating their various achievements and progress and I hope my experiences bring something unique to the judging process.

I’m particularly looking forward to entries that show inclusion and encouragement in areas such as community engagement, enterprise and career aspiration, which are issues close to my heart. I’m also looking forward to gaining insight in to those Merseyside schools I’ve yet to have the pleasure of visiting.

We are an area blessed with outstanding education, and I’m eager to help celebrate some of those schools and pupils who are emblems of Merseyside’s high standards.”

The Educate Awards, now in its third year, aims to shine a spotlight on innovative education in Merseyside, celebrating the diligence and dedication of teachers, students and schools by looking beyond statistics and leader boards to acknowledge the hard work and creative energy that goes in to realising all varieties of triumphs inside the school gates.

Past award-winners include Mosspits Lane Primary School, who took away the Eco Project of the Year Award for their transformative ‘Big Dig’ scheme, and Calderstones School, who collected the Innovative and Creative Literacy Award for their inventive and grade-boosting use of social media.

Gary will be joining an esteemed panel of judges and guest judges, who include Chris Walker, Regional Managing Editor of Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales, Lesley Martin-Wright, Chief Executive of Knowsley Chamber, Mark Beedles, Managing Director of Connex Education, Lisa Murphy, Head of Initial Teacher Education at London Southbank University, Andrew Pimbley of Claremont Farm and Wirral’s Farm Feast, and the education team at the respected Everyman and Playhouse Theatres.

Kim O’Brien, Executive Editor of Educate Magazine, is delighted with the new addition to the panel, saying: “We couldn’t be more pleased to have Gary on the judging panel, this year. We at Educate witnessed first-hand Gary’s passion and dedication to schools during his time as Lord Mayor, and we know that this enthusiasm and personal understanding of our schools will make him an invaluable asset to the panel.

Moreover, his new role as cabinet member for business, enterprise and investment allows him a greater appreciation of all the amazing work Merseyside schools do. After all, the success of any region lies in the innovative education of its young people.

With each year, we receive more and more entries, all of which are increasingly strong and inspiring in their content. I’m thrilled that our judging panel is comprised of experts and education champions who can do each and every submission justice.”

Nominations are now open, and the categories, contact information, and details of past winners can be found at

The shortlisted nominees will once again be celebrated at the annual awards ceremony in the Liverpool Cathedral on the 21^st November.