The New Year Honours list 2017 recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the UK. This year 1,197 people have received an award, each recipient exemplifying the very best of our nation, 10% of honours are for work in education. The proportion of medals handed to academy trust bosses and executive heads has also risen this year – with 11 handed out this year compared to eight last year.

The highest formal honour went to Helen Fraser, former head of the Girls Day School Trust, who will become a Dame. She is the only person from the schools community to receive the highest honour level which was handed to four education leaders in the 2016 list.

Dame Helen has been a long-standing supporter girls’ take-up of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects and while chief executive of the GDST for six and a half years, saw the numbers of girls receiving full bursaries double.

Dame Helen said she was "surprised and delighted" to be recognised in the New Year's Honours List. "I feel it’s wonderful for me personally and for the GDST for all of the hard work we do and other girls schools for the advancement of girls, not only in education but in their adult lives. I am very thrilled," she said.

Baroness Mary Warnock, 92, has been made a companion of honour whose work transformed the education of children with special education needs. Her work led to the introduction of statementing, which gives children with special educational needs an entitlement to special support, ensuring that they could be educated in mainstream schools alongside their peers.

Six leading figures in education received a Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE):

• Hardip Singh Begol, director of independent education, safeguarding in schools and counter extremism, Department for Education. For services to Education.
• Dr Jonathan Clark, executive headteacher of Beckmead Family of Schools in Croydon. For services to Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
• Seamus Michael Oates, chief executive officer and executive headteacher, Tri-borough Alternative Provision Multi Academy Trust. For services to Education.
• Roger John Pope, longstanding TES columnist, chief executive officer of Academies South West Multi-Academy Trust and executive principal of Kingsbridge Community College, Devon. For services to Education.
• Nigel Paul Richardson, lately director of Children's Services, Leeds City Council. For services to Children and Families. (Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire).
• Dr Margaret Ann Whalley, MBE, lately director of research, training and development at Pen Green Training and Development Centre in Northamptonshire. For services to Education.

The Honours Education Committee has also recommended many other educationists, heads and teachers as recipients of OBEs and MBEs.