Teaching Assistant wins national Silver

The award came as schools across the country celebrated Thank a Teacher Day to highlight families’ gratitude to school staff.

Selected from 1000s of nominations, Mrs Hall was one of 102 Pearson National Teaching Silver Award winners across the country who showed outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children she works with every day.

Since joining St Edward’s School in Poole, Dorota has made a significant difference to the learning of every child through her meticulously planned and engaging literacy lessons. Her patience and determination with students with considerable speech and communication challenges have enabled children to socialise and engage beyond expectations. 

Dorota supports students and families beyond her role within the department and frequently liaises with students in English and Polish as needed, working closely with Polish families in their first language.  

Mrs Hall 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, celebrating exceptional school staff who have worked wonders during an incredibly challenging time for educators across the country.

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 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.

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 teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and lecturers across the UK.

Headteacher Michael Antram commented:

“We are delighted that Mrs Hall has been awarded this prestigious title. We have been national finalists in previous teaching awards and strive for excellence in teaching here at St Edward’s which we see demonstrated every day in the achievements of our students and staff at our school. We are very proud of Mrs Hall’s achievement and all that she brings to the school.”

Sir Michael Morpurgo, celebrated author, 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.”

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.”