Inspirational Fareham Teacher honoured in prestigious UK celebration of teaching

Rebecca Sutton

Selected from thousands of nominations, Rebecca Sutton has been honoured as one of 102 Pearson National Teaching Silver Award winners across the country.

Rebecca was honoured with a Silver Award in The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School for her outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children she works with every day.

Rebecca is an inspirational teacher who brings out the best in those around her. She has a passion to ensure that every child in her class has the opportunity to succeed, and a determination to overcome any barriers to learning.

She strives to understand how each child learns best, championing those children whose individual needs require a bespoke approach and approaching each new challenge with positivity.

Her enthusiasm is infectious and she is a highly effective team leader, supporting colleagues to be the best teachers they can and enabling her classroom support staff to grow in confidence and skills.

Rebecca has now been shortlisted to win one of just 15 Gold Awards later in the year, in a programme which will be broadcast on the BBC. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the exceptional school staff who have worked wonders during an incredibly challenging time for educators across the country.

Headteacher of Whiteley Primary School, Lesley Pennington, says: “This is a fantastic achievement and we are so proud that Becky’s hard work and efforts have been recognised with a Silver Award.”

The Silver Award winners are being honoured as part of the wider celebrations for ‘Thank a Teacher Day’, a national campaign to honour and recognise school staff for their incredible work.

The celebrations follow new data which shows how the previous year’s lockdowns have significantly changed how families across the country view the role of teachers.

New research from Parentkind and The Teaching Awards Trust highlights that three in four parents and carers have a newfound respect for the teaching profession following their experiences of remote learning during lockdown.

74.9% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they had more respect for the work that teachers do following their family’s experiences of remote learning.

The last year has seen a wealth of stories of teachers making care visits to vulnerable families, coming up with innovative ways of remote teaching, keeping their pupils settled by regularly checking in and even using their school sites for Covid-19 testing when classes did return to school.

There has never been a better time to appreciate them and the vital work they do.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of excellence in education, founded in 1998 by Lord Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people they work with.

This year marks its 22nd year of celebrating, award-winning teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and lecturers across the UK.

Sir Michael Morpurgo, celebrated author and former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “Thank a Teacher Day gives us all a chance -  children, families, all of us - to pay tribute to those wonderful educators who change more lives than they will ever know.

"Today we say thank you to the teachers who have helped our young people navigate these most difficult of times, and who will continue to inspire countless young minds over the coming years.”

Sadie Besley, Senior Director Operations, Randstad Education, said: “After the incredible challenges of the last year we have seen so many teachers go above and beyond to support their pupils.

"In an incredibly crowded field, Rebecca stands out as a truly superb teacher who is making such a difference to the lives of their pupils.

"At Randstad we are so pleased to support these Awards to recognise the incredible work that teachers do in these most difficult of times. Schools deserve so much praise, and I am delighted that we can take this day to honour the hard work of every educator.”

Sharon Hague, Senior Vice President of Schools at Pearson UK, said: “After a year like no other we want to take today to say thank you to all the incredible school staff who have kept children and young people learning despite unprecedented challenges.

"We hope the celebrations today show how much you are appreciated, and that your hard work has not gone unnoticed nor unrecognised.”

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “The hard work and dedication of teachers in schools, colleges and across the education sector during the pandemic has been inspiring, and while our teachers deserve the country’s recognition every year, this year’s Thank A Teacher Day is even more significant.

"The support they have provided children, young people and adults has been remarkable, and each and every one of us should be grateful for the part they have played over the past 18 months.

“Congratulations to all the Silver Award winning educators, and every teacher who has gone above and beyond, inspiring and shaping our future generations to be the best they can be.”

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