INSPIRATIONAL BIRMINGHAM TEACHER HONOURED IN PRESTIGIOUS UK CELEBRATION OF TEACHING

++ The Arthur Terry School/Arthur Terry Learning Partnership teacher and leader wins Silver Award in The Award for Lifetime Achievement ++

++ Sue Bailey MBE honoured as schools across the country celebrate Thank a Teacher Day to highlight families’ gratitude to school staff ++

Selected from thousands of nominations, Sue Bailey MBE has been honoured as one of 102 Pearson National Teaching Silver Award winners across the country. Sue Bailey was honoured with a Silver Award in The Award for Lifetime Achievement for their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children they work with every day. 

Sue has devoted her career to the educational, social, and emotional welfare of children, transforming many lives, and in 2017 she received an MBE for services to the community and vulnerable children. She was the Strategic Lead for the Four Oaks Children’s Centres, providing a ‘lifeline’ to families, by organising transition days, community choirs and partnership events.

A Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award holder, recognised by the Outward Bound Trust for her long service, Sue has headed up visits to partner schools in South Africa through ‘Aspire for Africa Trust’. In 2016, Sue’s dynamic leadership became headline news when she led students and colleagues to safety during a military coup at Istanbul Airport.

Sue Bailey 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. 

She said: “I’m really honoured, humbled and proud to have received this Pearson Silver Award. Thank you to all the colleagues I have worked with over the years, who have supported me, inspired me, challenged me, laughed with me, cried with me and been part of this incredible journey. On this national ‘Thank a Teacher Day’ I would like to congratulate all schools and everybody who works in education for the incredible work they do.”

Richard Gill CBE, CEO of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership and Chair of the National Teaching Schools Council (pictured above, second from right), said: “We are absolutely delighted to see Sue win this Silver award. She is an inspirational and dedicated teacher and leader, who has transformed the lives of so many children and young people, both at the Arthur Terry School and across our family of schools. It’s a privilege to work alongside Sue, and we all look forward to congratulating her on this ‘National Thank a Teacher Day’ when we will also be celebrating and thanking all colleagues across all schools for their incredible work, every single day.”

Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell said: “Congratulations to Sue on such a phenomenal achievement. Her outstanding service to education and safeguarding across Arthur Terry School, ATLP and the wider community, has helped to shape so many lives over the years. This Silver Pearson Award is richly deserved!

“Every child matters to Sue, and this was never more apparent than when she helped to secure the safe return of her students and colleagues following a military coup in Istanbul. Sue was calm, caring and courageous – exactly what we need in great teachers and leaders, and it is an honour and a privilege to work with her.

“It is befitting that she receives this accolade on ‘National Thank a Teacher Day’ when we celebrate the valuable contribution that all school staff make to our schools and communities. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful schools here in the Royal Town, filled with exceptional individuals like Sue Bailey, and I am very proud of their incredible work.”

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 hold 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 22^nd 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.”

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.” 

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The 2021 Pearson National Teaching Awards are open to every school across the UK. The awards were established by Lord Puttnam CBE in 1998 and are managed by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity. The vision of the charity is to recognise and celebrate excellence in education. It does this through its public-facing ‘Thank A Teacher’ campaign www.thankateacher.co.uk, and through the Pearson National Teaching Awards www.teachingawards.com. 

Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company. Learn more at pearsonplc.com

Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain’s best-loved writers for children. With a writing career that spans four decades, he has written over 100 books, selling more than 5 million copies in the UK and over 35 million worldwide. A former Children’s Laureate, Michael has won countless prizes, including the Smarties prize, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Whitbread Award, and was awarded an OBE for Services to Literature. Michael was also awarded an MBE in 1999, along with his wife Clare, in recognition of their work in founding Farms For City Children, a charity that has enabled 100,000 children to visit the charity’s three farms over the last 40 years. 

The 2021 Pearson National Teaching Award Categories are: 

The Award for Excellence in Special Needs Education	The Award for FE Lecturer of the Year, supported by DfE
The Award for FE Team of the Year, supported  by DfE	The Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Primary School, supported by Hays Education
The Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School, supported by Hays Education	The Award for Digital Innovator of the Year, supported by Nord Anglia Education
The Award for Making a Difference – Secondary School of the Year	The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School, supported by Nord Anglia Education
The Award for Making a Difference – Primary School of the Year	The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School, supported by Randstad
The Award for Lifetime Achievement supported  by DfE, supported by DfE	The Award for Teaching Assistant of the Year
The Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year, supported by DfE	The Award for Impact through Partnership
The Lockdown Hero Award for Learner and Community Support