North Yorkshire County Council has celebrated its first teaching awards in partnership with secondary school headteachers.
The secondary school awards were launched in recognition of the many members of school staff who are inspirational role models and make a real difference to the lives of North Yorkshire’s children and young people.
The awards are the initiative of headteachers who are members of the council’s secondary improvement partnership in a bid to celebrate good practice as well as raising the profile of teaching and to improve the esteem of the profession.
Cllr Patrick Mulligan, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Schools announced at this week’s full council meeting that there was now an ambition to extend the awards to include staff in all schools across the county, both primary and secondary.
“We have much to celebrate in North Yorkshire and I want to congratulate all our winners this year” said Cllr Mulligan. “A very high proportion (88%) of our secondary age pupils continue to attend a good or outstanding school, 7% above the national average. This essentially comes down to great teaching.
“So many of our teachers and school support staff go above and beyond to provide the very best in teaching and learning. They help and encourage and have the highest expectations of our children and young people and what they can achieve.”
This year’s awards were presented at Rudding Park near Harrogate by Yorkshire athlete Danielle Browne, double Paralympic gold medallist archer and the first ever disabled British Olympian. Danielle is a former North Yorkshire school student.
“There is an ambition to make these awards open to all the county’s teachers in future, to say thank you to wonderful teachers and support staff but also to showcase great practice” said Rob Pritchard, head teacher of St John Fisher RC High School, Harrogate and chair of the secondary improvement partnership. “Teachers in North Yorkshire show fantastic commitment and in return get great support through professional development, partnership working and sharing good practice.
“We therefore hope the awards are a signal to teachers everywhere and to those wanting to become teachers, to come to North Yorkshire and build a great career.”
Teaching Assistant of the Year: Cathy Mitchell, Thirsk School and Sixth Form;
Special Needs Teacher of the Year: Joanne Pottage, King James School, Knaresborough;
Outstanding Support in Schools – Non-Teaching, individual or team: David Cracknell, site manager, Rossett School, Harrogate;
Highly commended: Carey Huegett, St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate;
Outstanding School Teaching Team of the Year: maths department, Upper Wharfedale School;
Newly Qualified Teacher of the Year: Hannah Markham, Rossett School, Harrogate;
Highly Commended Amy Shaw, Settle College;
Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School: Andrew Wilkinson, The Wensleydale School, Leyburn;
Highly Commended Paul Wilson at Norton College.