Information | 29.11.2017 | By paul_simpson

The Eichholz Prize

The History of the Prize

On his retirement from the position of His Majesty’s Inspector of Schools for the Deaf in 1930, Dr A Eichholz, CBE, was presented with a cheque together with a Book of Remembrance in which were inscribed the names of the friends of Dr Eichholz. He had devoted 32 years to the cause of the education of the deaf and that devotion had won him the admiration, the respect and the affection of the teachers.

Dr Eichholz generously handed the money back to the National College of Teachers of the Deaf (NCTD). He wished that his name might be associated with whatever decision the College arrived at for the use of the money and suggested it might take the form of a medal or a prize for a Teacher of the Deaf. The amount of the cheque was £90. A full account of the presentation is to be found in the College’s Journal ‘The Teacher of the Deaf’, February, 1931.

In 1931, the General Purposes Committee of the NCTD recommended the award of a Prize to be known as ‘The Eichholz Prize’ for the best student of the year presenting himself or herself at the Diploma Examination, providing that student had reached a sufficiently high standard. The Presentation Cheque was made up to £100 and invested in order to purchase books selected by the successful student-suitably inscribed – ‘The Eichholz Prize’, and to grant a Special Certificate – both the prize books and the Certificate to bear the seal of the College.

There is a long tradition of the profession training its own teachers. The first diploma examination was offered in 1885 by the College of the Teachers of the Deaf and Dumb and later by the National Association of Teachers of the Deaf.

From 1921 the Diploma Examination was offered by the National College of Teachers of the Deaf and later in 1977 by the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf until 1989 when it was transferred to Birmingham University.

As a result of the examinations for the Distance Learning Course at Birmingham University in 1992, the prize for the most outstanding candidate was awarded by BATOD to Mr Tom Coulter. Mary Hare Grammar School for the Deaf. Mr Coulter is congratulated on being the first candidate from Birmingham University to win this prize.

All Institutions providing training courses for Teachers of the Deaf are now invited to put forward the names of outstanding candidates for consideration by the BATOD NEC as recipients of the Eichholz Prize.

In June 2000 it was agreed by the National Executive Council to cease awarding the prize in this format. It was decided that annually an article will be commissioned for publication in the BATOD Association Magazine. The value of the prize will be awarded to the author of the Eichholz article.

Eichholz Prize format revived

Following discussions in 2007 it was decided revive the Eichholz Prize once again and to invite all Institutions providing training courses for Teachers of the Deaf to put forward the names of outstanding candidates for consideration by the BATOD NEC as recipients of the Eichholz Prize.

REFERENCES

The Teacher of the Deaf, February, 1931. Presentation to Dr A Eichholz, pp.147-152.

Register of the College of Teachers of the Deaf of Successful Diploma Candidates.

MARGARET EATOUGH, Chairperson 1992, Consultative Committee, Birmingham University, BPhil(Ed) / Diploma in Education (Special Education, Hearing-Impaired).

 

Eichholz Prize Winners 1931 to 1992

  • 1931 Joyce D Nicholson, Gorleston School
  • 1932 W Edward Johnson, Stoke School
  • 1933 Beatrice Murial Gray, Doncaster School
  • 1934 Constance Elizabeth Taylor, Derby School
  • 1935 Winifred Piatts Sheffield School
  • 1936 Ethel Marley Denney, Newcastle-on-Tyne School
  • 1937 Amy Bland, Leeds School
  • 1938 Dorothy C Hodgson, Doncaster School
  • 1939 Irene Waite, Sheffield School
  • 1940 Ceinwen D Lloyd, Exeter School
  • 1941 Herbert Howarth Shorrock, Margate School
  • 1943 Agnes E MacDonald, Havering House, Marlborough
  • 1944 Angus Seaforth Wailbank, RSD, Birmingham.
  • 1945 Winifred Marian Currington, Edgbaston School, Birmingham
  • 1946 Doreen Mary Wilson, Margate School
  • 1947 David H Williams, Penn School
  • 1948 Millicent Mary Foster, Bradford School
  • 1950 Monica Marshall, Margate School
  • 1951 Alice Swlndlehurst, Moseley Road, Birmingham
  • 1952 Mary Elizabeth Gillia, Gorleston School
  • 1953 Kathleen Mary Hill, The Mount School, Stoke-on-Tent
  • 1954 Kate B J L Jones, Gem Street, Birmingham
  • 1955 Bertram Cooper, Mary Hare Grammar School
  • 1960 Margaret Joyce Dennis, West Ham School
  • 1961 Dorothy Morgan, Donnington Lodge School, Newbury
  • 1962 Olive Harrison, Yorkshire School, Doncaster
  • 1965 Michael Albert Harding, Ovingdean Hall, Brighton
  • 1965 Anneliese Weidmann, St John’s School, Boston Spa
  • 1966 Irene Hulse, Odsal House School, Bradford
  • 1968 Angela J Harding, Frank Barnes School
  • 1968 Marian Joan Ward, Derby School
  • 1970 Beryl L D Oke, Exeter School
  • 1971 Mary N Edith Mayes, Jordanstown School, Belfast
  • 1972 Agnes M Madden, Middlesbrough School
  • 1973 Sylvia Williams, Elmete Hall School, Leeds
  • 1974 Joyce Sewell-Rutter, Ovingdean Hall, Brighton
  • 1975 Jennifer Elizabeth Edmonds, Longwill School, Birmingham
  • 1976 Mural E Redmond, Woodford School
  • 1977 Eileen Samuelson, Oak Lodge, London
  • 1978 Susan M Mason, Blanche Neville School, London
  • 1985 Catherine A Healey, St John’s School, Boston Spa
  • 1989 Sharon O’Connor, Mary Hare Grammar School
  • 1992 Thomas R Coulter, Mary Hare Grammar School

From 1998, Prize winners are given with the course they studied.

  • 1998 Tonia Harris, Oxford Brookes course
  • 1998 Debbie Warren, Swansea course
  • 2008 Katrina Murray, Moray House
  • 2010 Beth Lewington, University of Wales, Newport, in association with Mary Hare
  • 2010 Alison Robb, Moray House
  • 2011 Alison Bruce, Moray House
  • 2011 Louize Miller, Swansea course
  • 2012 Deb Kent, University of Birmingham
  • 2013 Kirsty McNaughton, Moray House
  • 2014 Natalie Fisher, University of Birmingham
  • 2015 Jennifer Wilkins, University of Leeds
  • 2015 Stephanie Fogg, Mary Hare School/University of Hertfordshire
  • 2015 Bev King, Moray House
  • 2016 Alison Todd, University of Birmingham
  • 2017 Jane Beadman, University of Manchester and Helen Latka, University of Leeds
  • 2019 Kelly Hitchins, University of Birmingham
  • 2020 Leanne Chorekdjian-Jojaghaian, Mary Hare School/University of Hertfordshire and Rianna Sime, University of Birmingham
  • 2021 Emily Davies, University of Manchester
Part of the above information was taken from the Register of the College of Teachers of the Deaf of successful candidates which accounts for the differences in the names of some of the schools for the deaf.

 

Kelly Hitchins is the latest Teacher of the Deaf to receive the Eichholz prize. She received it at the 2019 AGM which took place on March 22nd at the Jurys inn, Nottingham.

Rachel O’Neill nominated one of her students on the Moray House course (Edinburgh University) to receive the prize for 2010.

At the BATOD Scotland Conference in February 2011 Gary Anderson, BATOD President 2010-2012, presented Alison Robb with the certificate, bookplates and a cheque.

Deb Kent was presented with her Eichholz Prize by Gary Anderson, BATOD President 2010-2012, during the BATOD AGM 2011.

Rachel O’Neill nominated one of her students on the Moray House course (Edinburgh University) to receive the prize in 2008 and this was agreed by NEC.

At the BATOD Scotland Conference on 1 November 2008 Ann Underwood, BATOD President 2008-2010, presented Katrina Murray with the certificate, bookplates and a cheque.

Sue Lewis nominated one of the students on the joint Swansea/Oxford Brookes course to receive the prize in 2009 and this was agreed by NEC.

Louize Miller was presented with the certificate, bookplates and a cheque at the BATOD AGM on 13 March 2010 in London by Ann Underwood, BATOD President 2008-2010.