Entries for the TES Schools Awards have opened for 2012, giving Scottish schools the chance to compete against colleagues south of the border.

New categories have been added and the criteria for some of the awards have been widened a little, so it is important to review the changes.

Since the awards were opened to UK-wide applicants in 2009, Scottish entrants have done themselves proud.

Alan Byrne, principal teacher of PE at Stonelaw High in South Lanarkshire, won the top honour for a lifetime’s achievement two years ago.

Corseford School in Renfrewshire scooped the Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year in the same round of awards for its “How was it in school today?” programme. The school, which caters for 5 to 18-year-olds with complex difficulties including communication, uses equipment developed by Aberdeen and Dundee universities to give children more control over what they tell their parents.

St Michael’s Primary and Glenmanor Primary in North Lanarkshire were highly commended the same year for “outstanding community involvement” in their 50th anniversary commemoration of a local mining disaster.

St Ninian’s High in Kirkintilloch made the “outstanding secondary” and “outstanding sporting initiative” shortlists, while St Mirin’s Primary in Glasgow made the “outstanding primary” final leet.

Two other secondary schools also made it to the final round: Shawlands Academy in Glasgow, for “outstanding sustainable school of the year”, and Northfield Academy in Aberdeen, for “outstanding staff trainingdevelopment initiative”.

Last year, four Scottish schools were shortlisted: the New School Butterstone in Perthshire for special needs school of the year; Castlehead High in Renfrewshire, for “outstanding literacy or numeracy initiative”; Portree High on Skye in the outstanding business partnership category; and Dairsie Primary in Fife, in the outstanding sustainable school or partnership section.

This year’s entry deadline is 25 March.

www.tes.co.ukawards.