COLLABORATIVE AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE (CATE)

Are you part of a high performing team? 

The Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) celebrates collaborative work in teaching and learning and captures the creative and innovative practice that positively impacts on the student experience. The award recognises teams who have made a significant impact on student outcomes and/or enabled a change in practice for colleagues at an institutional or disciplinary/professional level. 

Alongside the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS), the CATE carries significant prestige with only 15 teams receiving the award each year across the UK HE sector.  Teams who are successful in achieving a CATE are expected to become an ambassador for the scheme and support the ongoing enhancement of learning and teaching. 

The scheme is open to members of staff from all providers of higher education across the UK.  Please note that your context is taken into account regarding the range and scope of impact you can be expected to have, which means the award is open to those working in non-teaching academic and professional services roles as well as those in academic roles. 

As an eligible institution, Sheffield Hallam can submit one CATE nomination for each year.  Team nominees are selected through an internal university process.

Applying for the CATE:  

A case is made for excellence focused on two criteria: 

Criterion 1: Excellence in the team’s collaborative approach 

Evidence of excellence in the team’s approach to working collaboratively; commensurate with their context and the opportunities afforded by it.  This effectively means that excellence is measured  in relation to what your place/context within the University enables you to do and doesn’t favour those in more senior roles. 

This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of excellence in terms of: 

  • having a clear set of aims, objectives and rationale for the team’s approach and how the group constitutes a team and developed as a team; 
  • demonstrating direct engagement of students within or with the team; 
  • illustrating how the team has contributed to wider thematic and sector priorities, for example, assessment and feedback; retention, employability, staff development; students as partners; technology and social media; 
  • working collaboratively with a range of stakeholder groups; 
  • embedding practices across different programmes, disciplines, campuses or institutions; 
  • being flexible and creative in working to address unanticipated situations or events; 
  • measuring the impact or outcomes of collaborative work. 

Criterion 2: Excellence in the impact of collaborative working 

Evidence of the team having a demonstrable impact on teaching and learning beyond their immediate academic or professional area. This may, for example, be demonstrated by providing evidence of: 

  • the reach of the team’s work; 
  • the benefit or value derived from working as a team; 
  • the impact of supporting colleagues and/or influencing support for student learning; 
  • the impact on student learning or outcomes; 
  • the impact of any outcomes/outputs of collaborative work.

Submission process 

Although the expression of interest deadline for 2025 has now passed, we are always keen to hear at any time from teams who are interested in the CATE.

If you would like an initial conversation with our Teaching Excellence Accreditation Lead (TEAL) about your team’s work and the award process, please contact us at talent@shu.ac.uk

Information for the 2026 submission round will be published here when available, and briefing sessions for interested staff will be held in Summer 2025.

In the meantime, Advance HE are running a series of online webinars for potential CATE applicants, giving an overview of the award and guidance on the process. 

Further information & resources 

Advance HE website – Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence

Advance HE – Insight into the award criteria (video series)

Advance HE – guidance for CATE team applications 2025

(NTF and) CATE Flashcards – a question sets resource from Edgehill University for use by individuals and teams

Advance HE Virtual CATE Roadshows 2025 – an overview of the award and guidance on the application process.

The CATE Collection: Together in Collaborative Educational Leadership (a publication from 2021 examining the what, why, how and who of the CATE and aims to inspire aspiring CATE Teams or anyone interested in collaborative ways of working in higher education) with an accompanying introduction from the Editorial team.

Subscribe to the Association of NTF and CATE blog (UK network – news, publications and events)

Need further inspiration? Take a look at this collection of CATE teams’ stories.