Three London schools have been recognised at the Tes Schools Awards, one of the biggest nights in the UK education calendar which was held on Friday 25th June.
Cheryl Campbell, from Thomas Tallis School in Greenwich, South East London won the school business leader of the year award.
Amara Copsey, from Caterham High School in Ilford, East London, won the new teacher of the year prize.
Eastbury Community School in Barking, East London, was a double winner: the school took home the alternative provision school of the year and the coveted overall school of the year trophies.
Tes judges praised Cheryl Campbell from Thomas Tallis School for “doing the things that professional organisations should have already done”.
One of her achievements is founding a network of professionals, which supports black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) school business leaders.
The ABBLed network (Association of BAME Business Leaders in Education) is a response to the Black Lives Matter campaign, and not only seeks to encourage new entrants into the profession but aims to raise the visibility of BAME school business leaders and provide opportunities to develop leadership skills.
Judges also noted how Ms Campbell has developed the School Business Manager Steps Challenge, which promotes physical activity among school business leaders (SBLs) in order to support their physical and mental health – and she has successfully persuaded private businesses to sponsor prizes for participants.
Tes Judge Hilary Goldsmith said: “Cheryl Campbell stands head and shoulders above the crowd, both as a highly skilled school business leader but also as someone whose clear moral purpose and determination inspire change for the better.
“She simply does the things that our professional organisations should have already done. She is an inspirational woman and an international leader.”
Amara Copsey stood out to judges for her incredible work at Caterham High School. The sheer variety of things she has achieved as a new teacher and her enthusiasm for her subject, history, has helped to truly inspire her pupils.
She started her career with the school through the Teach First programme and, from early on, it was apparent how her natural talent for teaching was matched by her brilliant work ethic and drive for self-improvement. She inspires pupils to see themselves as historians and pursues her vision of developing critical, kind and caring young adults in her role as a subject teacher and form tutor. She provided high-quality support for every student throughout the lockdowns, across all key stages, by rewriting mid-term plans to adapt her practice for online teaching.
In her NQT year, Ms Copsey was promoted to head of house, where her passion for inclusion has continued to flourish. She researched, created, delivered and shared a sequence of form-time sessions and assemblies on the Black Lives Matter protests, LGBTQ+ month and International Women’s Day with students across all year groups, so that every pupil could benefit from her sensitively planned activities. Following this, she has been recently promoted to part-time head of year, with the significant responsibility this entails standing as testament to her ability and hard work.
Judge Sam Twiselton said: “The future of the teaching profession is in excellent hands if this year’s nominations are anything to go by. Amara Copsey is a truly inspirational example of this as her passion for her subject, her pupils and the broader school community really stood out.”
Amara Copsey said
“I felt so privileged to have been shortlisted for this award – so to actually have won it is amazing! I am so proud of the support my colleagues in my department have given me as well as the whole school – they have been great.”
Recording a British Sign Language version of The 12 Days of Christmas has been just one of the achievements of deaf pupils at Eastbury Community School Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP), in Barking.
It was screened at the Globe Theatre in London as part of the Christmas at the (Snow) Globe production, written by and starring writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, where staff and pupils received a standing ovation on the opening night.
Judges were also impressed with awards won by the ARP, including being overall winners in a Green Plan It competition, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, in which pupils built a model of a sensory garden.
And one student’s competition-winning design is appearing on new canvas bags for the Royal Association for the Deaf (RAD).
The school also performed at the Chelmsford Cathedral Christmas Carol Concert for Deaf and Deafblind children, put on by the RAD.
Staff achievements include lead teacher Helen Devereux being elected to the British Association for Teachers of the Deaf executive committee, while Alex McMullan-Bell has published his first peer-reviewed paper allowing him to contribute to global research into deaf education.
All staff have a minimum of level 3 in British Sign Language, with some staff achieving this during lockdown on top of the challenge of having to fine tune online strategies for teaching deaf learners.
