Yarm School’s nursery teaching assistant Jo Jones has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to the education and support of the young pupils.
As part of National Teaching Assistants’ Day, Jo was nominated for an award by Joanne Speight, Head of Pre-Prep. Out of the thousands of entries, Jo was highly commended and received a surprise visit from Samantha Hornsby of Teaching Personnel, the organisation behind the awards.
National Teaching Assistants’ Day was created to recognise the valuable contribution teaching assistants make to schools across the UK.
Joanne Speight said: “We are extremely lucky to have an amazing team here at Yarm. Jo Jones always has a smile on her face and goes above and beyond to help the children and staff. She has been at Yarm for 15 years and I am delighted she has been recognised out of all the entries nationally. We celebrated her success having an afternoon tea for all the staff in our wonderful nursery.”
Jo Jones said: “I was astonished to be nominated for an award, and even more surprised to be commended.
“I love my job and working with the children every day and this recognition is the icing on the cake.”
Yarm School nursery provides a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment for three-year-olds to interact and play. Children experience an array of challenging activities, which promote learning through play and a real ‘can do’ ethos that builds children’s confidence and self-esteem. A diverse education is delivered through specialist teaching in French, PE and music.