With schools forced to close their gates to the majority of pupils for a second time, parents across the UK are having to adapt to homeschooling once again and, like never before, praising those who work within our nation’s schools.
Here we take a look at some of the gold award winners at the 2020 National Teaching Awards – a year that was undoubtedly challenging, grappling with partial closures, online teaching and the logistical aspects of social distancing and ‘bubbles’.
Primary school teacher of the year
This year’s award went to Alex Bramley of Spire Junior School in Derbyshire.
Taking a creative approach to his lesson planning, Alex has been praised as an outstanding teacher always prepared to go the extra mile for his pupils. Alex ensures all children are participating actively in lessons and is a big fan of cooperative learning, having also developed the use of the teaching practice with staff to have a wider impact across the whole school.
As well as organising a ‘Pride of Chesterfield’ awards with the school’s Year 6s, Alex also worked with pupils to achieve the Woodland Trust Award and bought a broken vending machine that he then repaired and filled with books as a reward for pupils.
Secondary school teacher of the year
Next up is Kerryann Wilson of Energy Coast UTC in Cumbria, who was named as secondary school teacher of the year.
Not only is Kerryann a dedicated, inspirational and remarkable teacher herself, she also mentors new teachers with great success, as well as running online revision sessions and social media study aids for students. Her passion for outstanding teaching has been instrumental to the school’s transformation – with more than 80 per cent of her students gaining a grade 4 or above in English and her teaching never graded below Outstanding by Ofsted.
Outstanding new teacher of the year
The outstanding new teacher of the year award went to Kirsty Gaythwaite who first joined Goodwin Academy in Kent as a learning support assistant to help vulnerable pupils.
Kirsty’s talent for teaching was soon recognised and she continued to work at the school while studying in evenings and weekends for her diploma in education. Since qualifying as a teacher Kirsty has continued to put an impressive amount of work in to ensure her students succeed.
Teaching assistant of the year
Involved in all aspects of school life, acting as family support worker, deputy designated senior lead for child protection, emotional literacy support assistant and staff governor, teaching assistant of the year went to Maria Gallagher.
Maria was the driving force behind Ashmount School in Leicestershire becoming a Forest School and is now training other staff with the required skills to help even more of their students benefit. Maria was also the first recipient of the school’s Outstanding Colleague award due to the level of dedication she gives to her role.
Excellence in Special Needs Education
David Swanson of St. Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment in Merseyside won the excellence in special needs education award.
Having also made a significant local, national and international impact for visually impaired communities beyond the classroom, David puts student outcomes, health and well-being at the centre of all his work. Now deputy principal at St Vincent’s School and a specialist in APE, David has engaged marginalised communities to come together through sport and physical activity.
Nationally he has also led a number of projects to support students, parents, teachers and support staff to support their awareness and knowledge of education and visual impairment, as well as working in Ethiopia to develop a visually impaired curricula.
Primary school headteacher of the year
Overseeing the formation of an inclusive campus, complete with Centre for Autism at the Netley Primary School, Bavaani Nanthabalan took home the primary school headteacher of the year award.
Establishing partnerships with local organisations and businesses to ensure her pupils could experience new memories, as well as transforming the school into a hub that reaches across Camden and other boroughs, Bavaani works tirelessly and from the heart.
Setting up the Primary Careers Conference to introduce vulnerable children to a range of professions has had an impact on countless staff, pupils and their families, ensuring that they are fully aware of their options in later life.
Secondary school headteacher of the year
Finally, we have Rob Williams of Malton School in North Yorkshire, who was announced as secondary school headteacher of the year.
Having worked as the headteacher at Malton School for 14 years, Rob has created a culture in school where everyone feels safe and respected. He has balanced the pressures of accountability, school finances and the changing educational landscape with a personable and caring approach based on a desire to see the whole community thrive and succeed.
As well as developing a ‘front foot’ approach, Rob has created a learning environment which caters for students’ individual needs by introducing a balanced curriculum and a programme of personal development activities in which they can thrive.
Find out more about the other awards winners and how to nominate your colleagues for the 2021 awards here: https://www.teachingawards.com/the-one-show/