Queen Mary University win national higher education awards

These national awards are composed of two programmes – the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).

Together, they recognise, reward and celebrate the exceptional contributions of individuals and teams to teaching excellence in UK higher education and showcase the transformative impact of teaching. This year, Queen Mary have won both a CATE and an NTF award in the 2025 Advance HE Awards.

Peer-learning team wins CATE Award

The Queen Mary Peer-Led Team Learning (QM-PLTL) team have been awarded a CATE Award. Led by Professor Tony Michael, Deputy Vice-Principal for Education at Queen Mary, the QM-PLTL team is a diverse, interdisciplinary group of student peer leaders, academics and professional services staff from across the University’s three faculties, in conjunction with the Queen Mary Academy.

Established in 2018, the team deliver student-centred, collaborative, peer-led learning programmes where learning is facilitated by a trained, supported student peer leader, rather than an academic, and where there is no hierarchical structure. The team were eager to bring peer-led team learning (PLTL) to Queen Mary as previous research from the United States has shown it to benefit students from underrepresented and less affluent backgrounds, an ethos which fits with Queen Mary’s ambition to be the most inclusive university of its kind, anywhere.

To date, around 235 students have trained and acted as peer leaders, and over 2,500 students at Queen Mary have participated in one of seven programmes, across three schools, in two faculties. Since its inception, the team have seen participating students’ grades improve considerably, have presented at multiple national and international conferences, and have published several peer-reviewed articles.

Beyond Queen Mary, the team are sector-leaders when it comes to PLTL, sharing their expertise to further implement peer learning in UK higher education. For example, some team members are working with the Association for Peer Learning and Support to help other UK universities develop PLTL programmes, while the team’s lead, Professor Tony Michael, is President of the US-based PLTL International Society and deputy lead, Dr Sally Faulkner chairs their international research committee.

Full PLTL team: Dr Valentina Aparicio; George Borrie; Dr Roussel de Carvalho; Professor Graham Easton; Dr Sally Faulkner; Professor Lesley Howell; Professor Tony Michael; Catherine Mills; Dr Ruth Rose; Redwan Shahid; Hannah Wilton; Professor Xue Zhou.

Medical educator recognised with NTF Award

Also recognised this year is Dr Michael Page, a Reader in Medical Education in Queen Mary’s Institute of Health Sciences Education, who has received a National Teaching Fellow award.

Michael created the UK’s first Master’s-level degree apprenticeship in clinical education, which has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. Designed for doctors, dentists, senior nurses, allied health professionals, and academics who are involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, this pioneering programme is helping deliver an outstanding education experience to medical students at Queen Mary.

An experienced teacher and programme developer who has designed and delivered postgraduate and CPD programmes in medical education and leadership throughout the UK and internationally, Michael’s approach and commitment to professional development and collaborative working, including with 14 local organisations, aligns with Queen Mary’s approach and dedication to supporting educators to develop in both teaching and educational scholarship. 

They’re to be commended

Speaking on Queen Mary’s success in the 2025 Advance HE Awards, Professor Stephanie Marshall, Vice Principal (Education) at Queen Mary, said: “I am incredibly proud that the dedication and hard work of our peer-led team learning colleagues, led by Professor Tony Michael over the past seven years, and the individual drive and commitment to innovation and best practice as demonstrated by Dr Michael Page, have been recognised by Advance HE. Their commitment – and the commitment of countless others at Queen Mary – to developing and delivering an outstanding education, leading to enhanced learning outcomes for our students, is to be commended.

“Queen Mary has a proud, 240-year history of delivering outstanding education to the people of East London and beyond, which continues to this day. To see these and other colleagues build on this heritage and relentlessly put the needs, experiences and learning preferences of our students, ensuring that they are all able to realise their potential, at the heart of our education offer is truly inspiring.”