If you’re ever in doubt about just how wonderful our education community is here in the North East, we can only assume that you’re not actually in it!
We are so fortunate to have some of the most resilient, competent, and remarkable teachers and school staff in the world, and days like ‘National Thank A Teacher Day’ (which took place on Wednesday 19 June) quite simply do not happen as often as they should.
Despite its name, this year ‘National Thank a Teacher Day’ celebrated every role in education – and rightfully so! Regardless of whether school staff are creating magic in an office, classroom, kitchen, outdoors, or somewhere else entirely, it’s their dedication and proficiency that makes our region’s schools so brilliant.
So before we go any further with this article, we want to take a moment to say THANK YOU.
A very awarding day
We can’t say we were surprised to see a few prestigious awards flying around the North East on Wednesday! We know under no uncertain terms that our staff and schools are brilliant, so when this is recognised on a national level, we can’t help but raise a triumphant fist in the air.
Norham High School, in North Shields, celebrated making it through to the final round of the Pearson National Teaching Awards, having been recently recognised with a Silver Award in the ‘Making a Difference – Secondary School of the Year’ category. You can read more about this fantastic achievement here.
Over in Sunderland, Head Teacher Robert Bell of Consilium Evolve (part of Consilium Academies) received a distinguished Silver Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education. Selected from thousands of nominees, this accolade highlights the amazing impact he’s had on shaping the lives of the young people in his care, and we couldn’t be more delighted for him!
The school conducts processing assessments for all students to identify and address challenges that may impact their understanding and engagement with the curriculum. This individualised approach, designed by Robert, has led to an extraordinary increase in student attendance, from an average of 18 percent before joining the school to 82 percent afterward. Wow.
Michael McCarthy, CEO of Consilium Academies, said: “It is incredibly fitting to see Mr Bell receive this prestigious award on National Thank a Teacher Day. His dedication to understanding and addressing the needs of our students has quite simply transformed lives.
“We are immensely proud of his achievements and the positive impact he has made on our community.”
Oh, and here’s another fantastic way to recognise ‘National Thank A Teacher Day’: Get a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted! For Sunderland’s Thornhill Academy, celebrations were doubled – perhaps even trebled – as staff and students revelled in the fact that this seal of approval from Ofsted, following an inspection in May, is the first time the school has been graded as “Good” for 20 years.
Incredible, just incredible!
And how could we forget about the North East education superstar that was named in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours last week? That’s a next level achievement; there aren’t enough words to describe how amazing that is! Huge congratulations to Deborah Ward (Executive Head Teacher, WISE Academies) who was named for services to Education.
We must also give a special shout-out to Jo Marchant in line with the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours. Jo, Estates Professional at The Boxing Academy, works closely with us here Schools North East as well as the National Network of Special Schools for School Business Professionals (which is powered by Schools North East). Jo was also awarded an MBE for services to Education – and it’s entirely deserved!
Social media posts, sweet treats and sentimental cards
Across the North East, schools took to social media to share their gratitude to not only to their own staff, but the wider region’s school community.
On Wednesday, you couldn’t scroll through X (formerly Twitter), Facebook or LinkedIn without coming across colourful visuals that thanked our teachers and school staff, or special shout-outs to specific people for their exceptional work as individuals. It was truly wonderful to see.
When asked if there was anyone in particular that County Durham’s Evergreen Primary School would like to thank, all eyes turned to Jayne Curtis, who is retiring this summer. Jayne has been a member of the SLT for over a decade and has made significant improvements and championed progress, especially in her pastoral responsibilities and early years foundation skills pathway department.
Jayne always wears a smile, is always there for support and encouragement and will be truly missed by all staff and pupils alike. Mrs K Harrop, who shared this wonderful recognition with the Schools North East team, wants her to know that Evergreen believes she has left the teaching profession in a better place than when she joined, and she has positively influenced so many lives in the process.
Did anyone else just get goosebumps? Pictured below, Jayne has short dark hair with glasses on the top row, far right.
At Carmel College in Darlington, over 130 thank you cards were delivered across the day, which is super impressive. Students wrote heartfelt messages to express their appreciation for all that their teachers do to help them ‘live life to the full’.
Back in Sunderland’s Consilium Evolve, there were surprises and treats scheduled throughout the day, starting with a delicious breakfast spread of pastries, cereal bars, and fresh fruit. They even had the most spectacular balloon display, which does seem very necessary given that they were also celebrating Robert Bell’s specific achievement alongside ‘National Thank A Teacher Day.’
As part of the celebrations at St Hild’s CoE School in Hartlepool, wonderful staff enjoyed coffee and lots of different types of cake. They really went above and beyond and you could tell the staff were delighted with the effort.
Returning to Norham High School, pupils spent the week creating a wall of ‘thank you’ messages for staff across the school, each one showing the differences staff make to the school community. Staff also gathered in the hall for a surprise afternoon tea celebration, where they announced the Pearson National Teaching Awards news!
Merging National Thank A Teacher Day with National Writing Day was Sele First School in Northumberland. Great idea! The pupils regularly receive personalised positive notes from their teachers, so on Wednesday, the roles were reversed. It was a real highlight of the day for the children and they particularly enjoyed writing and delivering their notes across the school to “make the teachers smile”.
We’re already looking forward to next year!
While ‘Thank A Teacher Day’ may be over for 2024, we want you to know that your hard work never, ever goes unnoticed – especially by Schools North East – regardless of the date.
Whatever your job role, your collective efforts create a supportive and nurturing environment where our students can thrive, and we applaud your efforts all year round!
We love to hear good news from North East Schools! To share your news with Schools North East, please tag @SchoolsNE on Twitter or fill out this short form here.
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