News
Teaching Awards
celebrate the best
of the profession
by Charles Gubert
The colleague who nominated ship, the once struggling school pupils are exceeding original
Mr Vickerman described him as has achieved record GCSE and expectations and working up to two
“the most talented, exciting and A level results this year and received grades above their predicted levels.
A school with its very own mini- enthusiastic teacher we have ever an outstanding rating from Ofsted. Judges said: “We have rarely, if Celebrations: Blue Peter
zoo and a dyslexic who was told he had, with skills way beyond our Ms Quinn told SecEd: “I am ever, seen or heard of a teacher with host Matt Baker surprises
would never become a teacher were expectations”. highly honoured, privileged and Dan’s quality.” Sean O’Donovan, assistant
among the inspiring winners at the The judges who observed his shocked because there are a lot of The UK’s greenest school head at Cardinal Wiseman
2009 Teaching Awards. lessons said: “He had students eat- good heads out there. One of the was also recognised, as Cardinal RC School, to present the
Around 8,000 nominations were ing out of the palm of his hand; he biggest things to turn the school Wiseman RC School near Coventry Sustainable Schools Award
put forward for this year’s awards, is at the cutting edge of teaching around was to establish clarity and won the Sustainable Schools (below left). He also got to
with regional finals taking place and learning. This young man will have high expectations of the stu- Award. see the school’s mini-zoo
across the UK earlier this year. go far.” dents. The students had to believe The school has its own mini- (above). Outstanding new
It all culminated with around Mr Vickerman said: “I am a dys- in themselves.” zoo equipped with an array of ani- teacher of the year, Edward
150 finalists from across the UK lexic and I was told I could never Maths teacher Dan Walton, from mals – a project school assistant Vickerman, got his award
attending a star-studded ceremo- be a teacher. So this award is for St John’s Catholic Comprehensive headteacher Sean O’Donovan has from former model Jodie
ny at London’s Theatre Royal anyone like me who is dyslexic but School in Kent, won the award for been involved with for almost 30 Kidd (right), while second-
on October 25 to hear winners who wants to teach.” Teacher of the Year in a Secondary years. ary teacher of the year, Dan
announced across 12 categories. Elsewhere, Liz Quinn scooped School. Mr Walton’s engaging les- The school sells its own farm Walton, is pictured with his
Edward Vickerman, 26, head of the award for Headteacher of the sons have been credited with the produce in-house, with its prized Plato award (below left)
business at the Freeston Business Year in a Secondary School fol- surge in students pursuing maths sausages winning West Midlands
and Enterprise College in West lowing her successful rejuvenation at A level. Banger of the Year. Recycling and
Yorkshire, picked up the award for of The Stourport High School and Parents say he has “switched on energy conservation are high on the
Teaching Awards 2009: Secondary winners
Outstanding New Teacher of the 6th Form Centre Language School the light” for children who hated agenda too and in one year, £15,000
• The SSAT Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year: Edward
Year. in Worcestershire. or struggled with maths, with his was wiped off the electricity bill as
Vickerman, The Freeston Business and Enterprise College, Yorkshire
Mr Vickerman has overcome his Under Ms Quinn’s head- “can-do” attitude. Many of his students became increasingly vigi-
dyslexia to enjoy a flying start to his lant about the use of power.
• The Royal Air Force Award for Headteacher of the Year in a
teaching career. Despite struggling To nominate for the 2010 awards,
Secondary School: Liz Quinn, The Stourport High School and
at school with the condition, he has visit www.teachingawards.com 6th Form Centre Language School, Worcestershire
enjoyed huge success in just four
• The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School: Dan
years of teaching.
Walton, St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School, Kent
Mr Vickerman, who does not
hide his dyslexia, has been praised
• The TDA Award for Teaching Assistant of the Year: Patricia Gribble,
for using innovative technology to
Stoke Damerel Community College, Plymouth
get his lessons across. • The DCSF Award for Enterprise: Maxine Pittaway, St Christopher’s
Described by his pupils as a
School, Wrexham
“cool teacher”, he has been instru-
• The DCSF Award for Sustainable Schools: Cardinal Wiseman RC
mental in a variety of new school
activities, including setting up
School, Coventry
mini-businesses and participating
• The Ted Wragg Award for Lifetime Achievement: Mike Vening,
in school versions of Dragon’s Den Abbey Hill School and Technology College, Stockton-on-Tees
and The Apprentice.
European schools
From the classroom to the staffroom
Past pupils of Wisbech Grammar She initially joined the graduate sports field, but admitted he found it
unite to tackle
School in Cambridgeshire have programme at Nivea, and worked strange to address his former teach-
been queueing up to go back to for two-and-a-half years in sales ers by their Christian names.
work at their alma mater. and marketing. One of the longer serving return-
common problems
A record-breaking 18 former However, she said: “School was ees, Jackie Stonham, who works as
students have chosen to return to such an all-round experience and I a music teacher, attended Wisbech
the school and work in a variety of got so much out of it that I wanted High School for Girls before the
roles, as teachers, accounts person- other children to have that kind boys’ and girls’ sites were brought
UK schools are signing up to a new city schools and a local non-profit nel and kitchen staff. of opportunity in life. It is also a on to the same campus.
European-wide scheme aimed at organisation campaigning for racial The number registering an inter- chance to come home.” She said: “It did not really feel
tackling issues such as anti-social cohesion, has teamed up with a est in returning has grown so large Another returning ex-student, any different when I came back
behaviour and childhood obesity. local authority, an arts organisa- that they now qualify to be in a class Ben Hoyles – a former captain because some of the boys had been
So far, 39 UK local authori- tion, and schools in Poland. of their own. of the school’s rugby team – has coming over to us for their les-
ties have secured funding in the Emily Daly, modern foreign Among the three ex-pupils who returned to teach PE, after rep- sons in the 6th form. But the thing
first year of the Comenius Regio languages and international dimen- swelled the number of former stu- resenting England at under-18 I do remember is that we were
programme, which enables them sion advisor at the city council, dents now employed by the school level and playing rugby league for never allowed to go on the head-
to team up with schools across said: “I could not have anticipated when they joined at the start of this England Lions. mistress’s lawn, and it always gives
17 European countries to address the huge benefits. Our application term is Emily Wagstaffe, who is He said that he wanted to give me a strange feeling if I stand on Back for good: Ben Hoyles
common problems. has brought together two areas now teaching German and PE. back what he had learned on the it now!” and Emily Wagstaffe
The initiative is managed by the of the council, an outside agency
British Council, and aims to bolster that we have now forged strong
co-operation between EU member links with, as well as primary and
states, improve educational stand- secondary schools from opposite
Students sample life on the trading floor
ards, and provide local authorities areas of the city.
with new links and ideas. “We have visited our partners Students across the country are Iain Wright joining the youngsters trading floor, their teachers got the across the whole curriculum, not
A variety of issues will be in Warsaw and are developing getting a taste of the competitive as they traded oil, reacted to market chance to learn more about the new just the sport and technology sub-
tackled by the venture, ranging programmes to help new and world of business by taking to the news, and managed a budget in London 2012 enterprise resources jects,” he said.
from violence in schools to ensur- recently arrived families to inte- trading floor. teams. for schools. These include a new “This event did exactly that,
ing environmental sustainability. grate quickly into both the school The BP Trading Challenge The roadshow has been launched initiative called “Have you got what encouraging young people to devel-
Partnerships are funded system and the local community.” is a one-day roadshow for 14 to in consultation with the London it takes?”, where pupils prepare and op respect, courage, determination
over two years by the European Comenius Regio is a new ele- 19-year-olds aimed at developing 2012 Organising Committee to help deliver a business pitch to become and inspiration as they worked
Commission, with each partner ment of the existing Comenius teamwork, decision-making, and youngsters find out about business an approved pre-Olympics training together in teams to achieve a com-
receiving up to €45,000. programme, which has been pro- communication skills. and enterprise, while at the same time camp. mon aim.”
Cardiff City Council is one viding funding to enable 1,000 Among the first to take part exploring Olympic and Paralympic Bill Jordon, headteacher at Dyke Get Set, the London 2012 edu-
authority taking part in the scheme. schools across the UK to collab- in the challenge were 84 year 10 values like determination, respect and House, said pupils had gained a cation programme, has already
It hopes to help integrate newly orate with other schools across pupils from Dyke House Secondary excellence. BP has pledged to take huge amount from the challenge. reached more than 11,000 schools
arrived migrant families into the Europe. For details, visit www. School in Hartlepool. The school’s the event to every local authority in “It is an important part of our and colleges. Schools wanting
community and school systems. britishcouncil.org/comenius- sports hall was transformed into the UK before the 2012 Olympics. ethos as a sports and technology to access the new free resources
The council, working with two regio-partnerships a trading floor last month, with While the Dyke House pupils college to promote the values of need to register with Get Set at
schools minister and Hartlepool MP experienced the cut and thrust of the good sportsmanship and enterprise www.london2012.com/getset
 SecEd • November 5 2009
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