UEA journalism team recognised with national teaching excellence award
By: Communications
A University of East Anglia (UEA) journalism team helping students build real-world skills has been recognised with a prestigious national award.
The Newsroom Collective, based in UEA's Broadcast House, has been selected to receive a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) 2026, awarded by Advance HE.
Lauren Flannery, Associate Professor and Director for Innovation and Partnerships in Allied Health Professions, was also awarded a National Teaching Fellowship for her exceptional contribution to inclusive and relational education.
Led by Clare Precey, with Dr Kim Ridealgh as Deputy Team Leader, The Newsroom Collective brings together academic colleagues, technicians, professional services staff, IT specialists and industry partners to deliver an ambitious model of practice-based journalism education at UEA.
The CATE award celebrates teams that have demonstrated outstanding collaborative approaches that have a significant impact on teaching and learning.
The Newsroom Collective designed accredited undergraduate and postgraduate journalism programmes based at Broadcast House, a purpose-built centre for journalism and media production in the heart of Norwich.
The team’s award claim highlighted that every member of its first graduating undergraduate cohort progressed into employment in journalism or content creation. Students have secured competitive placements, paid freelance work, national trainee schemes and permanent roles with organisations including the BBC and ITV.
A spokesperson from Broadcast and Multimedia Journalism at UEA said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this national recognition. This award recognises the collective effort of colleagues, students and industry partners who have worked together to create an authentic learning environment that reflects the realities of modern journalism.
“By bringing together academic expertise, technical support and industry insight, we enable students to develop the skills, confidence and adaptability they need to succeed in an evolving media industry.”
The award-winning team comprises Clare Precey, Dr Kim Ridealgh, Julian Sturdy, Jenny Kirk, Barnie Choudhury, Shaun Lowthorpe, David Clayton, Sean Thompson, Alfie Kirk, Matt North, Zak Davies, Andrew Bulmer, Jon Godel, Leon Shakespeare and Carly Penwolf.
The Newsroom Collective's impact extends beyond the classroom through partnerships with organisations including the BBC, ITV and Bauer Media. These collaborations provide students with opportunities for placements, mentoring, guest lectures and paid employment, helping them build professional networks and launch successful careers.
Recent graduates have gone on to win awards from the prestigious Royal Television Society and India-UK Achievers Class of 2026, with many others going on to secure jobs in journalism and media.
The award will be presented at the 2026 Advance HE Awards Ceremony on Thursday 24 September 2026 at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.
Learn more about Journalism at UEA
Lauren Flannery awarded a National Teaching Fellowship
Drawing on her expertise as a Speech and Language Therapist, Lauren Flannery has developed communication-accessible approaches that place trust, belonging and high-quality teacher-student relationships at the centre of rigorous professional education.
Across more than 350 learners on the Advanced Professional Practice programme, Lauren’s relational teaching model supported pass rates of 96-99%, while average grades increased from 62% to 73% over three years. Her redesign of learning materials and activities has also made expectations more transparent, reduced hidden curriculum barriers and supported more equitable participation.
This work has also continued far beyond Lauren’s own classroom. Through the Communication Access Project, she led UEA to become the first UK university accredited by Communication Access UK as a Communication Accessible Organisation.
The project has influenced the experience of more than 30,000 students and contributed to improved completion outcomes for disabled students in the School of Health Sciences, including a six-percentage-point increase in award completion and the achievement of 97% completion parity.
Prof Claire Pike, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education and Experience at UEA, described the University as “proud of, and energised by, Lauren’s contributions”, recognising how her teaching, scholarship and leadership have transformed inclusive practice at UEA and influenced educators and institutions internationally.
Director of CHERPPS, Prof Fabio Aricò, said: “These awards celebrate two complementary expressions of teaching excellence: Lauren’s remarkable ability to turn inclusive, relational education into lasting institutional and sector-wide change, and The Newsroom Collective’s success in bringing academic, technical and industry expertise together to create an authentic professional learning environment.
“Both achievements demonstrate the imagination, commitment and collaborative spirit of our UEA community, and we are immensely proud to see them recognised nationally.”
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