South Tyneside educator wins outstanding Head Teacher of the year award

Chris Rue, of Epinay School in South Shields took home the award in the Outstanding Contribution Award category for Outstanding Head Teacher at the Educate North awards which celebrates, recognises and shares best practice and excellence in the education sector in the North.

The school which caters for children and young adults with additional needs moved from its previous site in Jarrow to the current site in South Shields last year.

Chris has been headteacher at the school since 2017 and described his job as the 'best in the world' as he enjoys seeing the pupils in his school flourish and is proud of all they achieve.

Chris' hard work with his staff and students was recognised by a number of people who nominated him for the award.

READ MORE: Man taken to hospital following an incident outside a pub

Chris who has also supported Durham Local Authority as a leadership advisor for the last three years said: "Winning the award was such a shock. To be nominated for the award by the people we work for, our families means such a great deal to me personally. 

"To know that they are proud to have their children attending our school and to take time out of their lives to nominate me is amazing - I am very thankful.

"The award goes to my full staff team, without whom we wouldn't have the school we have today, I'd like to share the award with them as we work as a team.

"The award has inspired me to continue following the vision we set out of high expectations for all our children, I am very much looking forward to working with Epinay families for many years to come."

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “Chris is an inspirational leader who has taken Epinay School to amazing heights. He is a fantastic ambassador for South Tyneside and I am delighted that his talent and leadership have been recognised in this way.

“Epinay is a school that is constantly raising the bar for children with additional needs. Following significant investment from the Council to allow the re-location of the school to a larger site with state-of-the-art facilities, our children and young people are being given an outstanding learning experience. With Chris at the helm and his dedicated team around him, the possibilities are endless and I look forward to seeing just what these young people can achieve.”,

Read South Tyneside's news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day's news and sport and enjoy even more from your Gazette. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up.