NSW Department of Education staff, schools and corporate departments are among the finalists in various categories of the 2026 NSW Premier’s Award.

The Premier’s Awards highlight and celebrate the world-class services delivered by the NSW public sector to the people of NSW. Being selected as a finalist is a highly regarded achievement and recognises exceptional work.

Winners will be announced on 27 October at Parliament House.

Special Education Teacher, Lizette Taylor, is a finalist in the NSW Public Servant of the Year Award.

Ms Taylor is a teacher at Gralee School, a school for Specific Purposes (SSP) in the Riverina town of Leeton and an Assistant Principal for Curriculum Instruction at Wewak Street School, also an SSP in North Albury.

Ms Taylor has been recognised for her tailored learning programs which has profoundly impacted a student with childhood dementia.

Her innovative teaching practices and compassionate approach have not only transformed the student’s educational experience but also enriched the broader school community.

Her commitment to professional dialogue and collaboration with support agencies highlights her outstanding leadership within the NSW Department of Education.

The Department’s “100 Public Preschools Program” is a finalist in the Delivering Innovative Economic Opportunities for the Community Award

The program has been recognised for being a transformative program in establishing 100 new public preschools on public school sites across NSW by 2027.

This program will double the number of public preschools in the state, ensuring up to 9,000 more children are able to access quality preschool education, supporting their lifelong learning and development.

Auburn North Public School is a finalist in the Creating Safe and Thriving Communities Award.

Under the banner of “Together in Harmony to Develop a Thriving Learning Community”, the school has built an extraordinary learning community in the heart of one of Australia’s most multicultural regions.

With almost 98 per cent of students from English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) backgrounds and 20 per cent from refugee or refugee-like backgrounds, the school has created a culture where every student, parent and teacher belongs.

Students report exceptionally high levels of belonging, engagement and wellbeing. Additionally, the school has consistently achieved in the top 3 per cent of all NSW public schools in terms of ‘Year 3-5 Value-Add’ NAPLAN data.

The Department’s 1,000 NSW Public Sector Apprentices and Trainees Program team, which sits within Training Services, is a finalist in the Driving Public Sector Workforce Excellence and Integrity Award.

The program was the team’s response to the NSW Government’s $93.5 million election commitment to employ 1,000 additional apprentices and trainees by 30 June 2026.

The program offers wage subsidies, training to boost retention and completion, and recruitment and post-placement support for agencies.

Ajuga School’s Green Guardians initiative is a finalist in the Delivering World-Class Education and Training Award.

Ajuga School is an Intensive Learning Support (Mental Health) school in Glenfield which aims to boost engagement of Kindergarten to Year 12 students with complex trauma and Autism through hands-on environmental sustainability projects.

The school developed an inclusive whole school initiative focused on exploring sustainability, local agriculture, and the food system, while empowering students as Green Guardians.

The program works In partnership with the Georges River Environmental Education Centre, Camden Park Environmental Education Centre, Campbelltown City Council, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Earthwatch Australia, ARENCO.

In the same category, Aurora College is a finalist for its Beyond postcodes: expanding access to a world-class curriculum

Aurora College was established to address a long-standing inequity in education: where a student lives should not determine the breadth of learning opportunities available to them.

With Aurora College, the Department has created a statewide virtual school that enables students to remain enrolled in their local schools while accessing a broader, world-class curriculum delivered by specialist public school teachers from across the state.

Aurora College has demonstrated that geography need not limit opportunities for students by creating a scalable model for equitable education which enhances local communities across the state.

A number of schools are also finalists in the Delivering World-Class Education and Training Award for their Explicit and Systematic Teaching Mathematics project.

They are Glendore Public School, Budgewoi Public School, Charlestown South Public School, The Entrance Public School, Blue Haven Public School, Yates Avenue Public School, Charlestown Public School, Vardys Road Public School, Gorokan Public School, Northlakes Public School, Toukley Public School, Briar Rd Public School & Kurri Kurri Public School.

The Explicit and Systematic Teaching (EAST) network of public schools has created explicit teaching resources for mathematics which are being used by over 500 schools across NSW, benefitting tens of thousands of NSW public school students.

In the same category, Hunter Sports High School is a finalist for Redesigning secondary education through personalised academies.

Redesigning secondary schooling through personalised academies is a whole school reform initiative responding to a major challenge in education: preparing young people for success in a complex world shaped by artificial intelligence, rapid change and uncertain futures.

Hunter Sports High School has reimagined traditional secondary schooling through a personalised academy model that delivers rigorous, relevant and equitable pathways for students.

Alongside a traditional curriculum pathway, the school offers a range of personalised pathway designs tailored to students’ strengths, interests, aspirations and support needs.

This has led to stronger student engagement, belonging and achievement, alongside increased staff purpose and professional agency, while also influencing broader system change across NSW.