Cheers and applause for school heroes
It’s that time of year again – if it’s June it must be the Teaching Awards’ UK tour and seven ceremonies celebrating all that is good in our schools.
We began in Belfast at the Waterfront Hall on Tuesday June 8. Pupils, parents, teachers and other staff from throughout Northern Ireland cheered everyone who stepped on stage to receive an accolade. It was a great place to start – they say we host a lovely party!
Two more ceremonies were then held in the Midlands (Birmingham) and the North (Leeds). The week following, the tour went to Wales (Cardiff) and the South West (Bath) and last week ceremonies took place in London and the South East and finally the East (Bishop’s Stortford). 218 finalists have now been recognised and 72 winners’ names announced.
Our president, actress Emma Thompson, attended the London and South East ceremony at the British Museum (Tuesday June 22) and our patron Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz, was guest presenter in Wales at Cardiff City Hall on Monday June 14. Melvyn Bragg, David Bellamy and Carol Vorderman also presented awards during the tour.
Baroness Shirley Williams, chair of the UK judging panel, hosted workshops for finalists in four locations and she was keen to gather news and views from schools. At three other ceremonies Mythodrama, a company that teaches leadership through Shakespeare, staged a fascinating session.
Emma Thompson said: ‘I am genuinely proud and honoured to be the president of the Teaching Awards. I owe so much of what I’ve done to my fantastic teachers at school and university and it is exciting to join in celebrating what is probably the most important profession of them all.’
Caroline Evans, chief executive of the Teaching Awards, said: ‘This is an exciting time for individuals who have been recognised and rewarded. Congratulations to them all and to their schools where the brilliance rubs off. I am delighted to meet the new class of 2010 who are Teaching Awards’ ambassadors for education at its best.
‘This year the Teaching Awards has had more than 9,200 nominations which is a record number. Each and every one has been thanked for helping to change young lives.’
Henry Winkler , the Hollywood actor and author, was a VIP guest at the ceremony in Wales where he announced the names of finalists in the UK Award made in his name – the Henry Winkler Teaching Award for Special Needs 2010.
He said: ‘It is an honour for me to be at a Teaching Awards ceremony and to congratulate you all, whether you come up on stage or not. How fantastic it is that you do what you do with your life.’
