Andrew Rosindell M.P., Member of Parliament for Romford, has congratulated Colin Seabrook, from Havering College, for winning the East of England Pearson Award for FE Teacher/Lecturer of the Year, and Mary Morrison, the Head Teacher at Bower Park Academy, for winning Head Teacher of the Year for London and the South East.
The awards were celebrated at a reception in the House of Commons on Tuesday 2nd July 2013.
The Pearson Teaching Awards work as follows:
· Anyone can send in a ‘thank you’ to a teacher they think deserves special recognition and Pearson then sends them a personalised ‘thank you’ card.
· Each ‘thank you’ is then taken as a nomination for a Teaching Award. The Head Teacher of the school is then asked to endorse the nomination, and put the teacher into a category.
· Regional judging then takes place, and regional awards are announced.
Colin has just won an award in the East category for FE Teacher/Lecturer of the Year.
The Head Teacher of Havering College said:
"Colin is not only an excellent Head of School who provides an outstanding experience for his students, he is also an innovative and committed member of the college. He is always the first to volunteer for task groups, raising money for good causes and going that extra mile for students and his staff.
“His remit includes areas such as Electrical Installation, Motor Vehicle and Engineering. He manages to ensure that all his students, whether apprentices in work, apprehensive full- time 16 year olds or part - time students get the individual learning experience they need. It is very difficult to juggle those differing needs and ensuring high standards are met but he does this with good grace and a large dose of humour"
Mary has won an award for Head Teacher of the year. The citation from Pearson Awards says:
“Mary Morrison has led Bower Park School from its position as a failing school on the exciting journey to a school of choice in the community where results are now highly creditable; she is determined to drive this journey forward so that her students have the very best learning experience possible. She has worked hard to create an environment where everyone is excited by learning. In particular, Judges received an emotional wave of support for the school's learning environment from a wide group of parents. One parent said: "My daughter had an outstanding experience here and Mary has inspired all the teachers with an amazing enthusiasm. She is able to find the right teachers with the right passion for teaching" Another parent spoke of the way in which their son had achieved success despite having to battle dyslexia. Another simply said "The children want to be here." One parent spoke of her daughter who had again, worked through having dyslexia, becoming Head Girl and finally becoming a teacher herself! Judges summed up by saying "Mary is simply an outstanding school leader"
Later in the year national judging takes place, and UK winners are announced in October on a BBC 2 programme.
Andrew Rosindell M.P. said:
“I would like to congratulate Colin and Mary on their success in these awards. Right here in Romford we have two examples those great teachers who always go the extra mile for their students to make their education a fulfilling and meaningful experience. Too often we forget just how much pressure we put teachers under, and this great initiative helps to recognise what outstanding teachers we have right here in Romford, Havering and across the UK. The success we now see at Bower Park, from a failing school to the great results we see today, really is a tribute to hard work of Mary. I would encourage students and parents from across Romford to go to Pearson and thank a teacher that they think has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make their school life better.”
For more information on the awards, visit: http://www.teachingawards.com/