‘Inspirational’ South Tyneside teaching staff hailed at a North East awards evening
An awards ceremony has celebrated “inspirational” and “passionate” South Tyneside teaching staff.
Staff at three South Shields schools have received praise at the annual Chadwick Celebration Awards.
Organised by Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (BCCET), it was the fifth awards ceremony to honour and celebrate staff across the trust’s 31 schools in South Tyneside, Sunderland and East Durham.
Teacher of the Year
Dr Rachel Bennett, of St Wilfrid’s RC College, was awarded the Teacher of the Year (Secondary) after being described in her nomination as an “inspiring history teacher” who has “enabled pupils to thrive academically”.
Speaking after her win, Rachel said: “I wanted to teach in a school so I had the full teaching experience.
“It’s a hard job with a lot of challenges, but I do enjoy it and it has given me a sense of purpose.
“The best thing about teaching is the little wins with pupils. It’s great to see great results, but it’s the little things that catch you off guard.”
Winning the Governance Award
Patricia Alexander, of St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School, won the Governance Award, which was made extra special by her being a former pupil of the school.
She commented: “I can’t believe it. I didn’t know who nominated me, but when I read the citation I was blown away, I thought, ‘Is that me? Have I really done that?’ The words were just amazing.
“I do want to do my best for the school and try to engage everybody and engage the parish, but when I read those words, I couldn’t believe somebody had written them about me.
“As a governor, what I wanted to do was champion St Oswald’s and make sure the governance was working well for the benefit of everybody, particularly the pupils, but also for the team.”
Lucie Campbell, of St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, secured the Faith in the Community Award after taking on a central role in the school’s LiveSimply Award journey and nurtures young leaders in service and prayer.
In her nomination for the award, Lucie was described as “a wonderful pioneer of faith across our school and our community”.
For more information about BCCET or any of the Trust’s schools, visit: https://www.bccet.org.uk/.