Barton Peveril Learning Support Assistant Wins National Teaching Award

@BartonPeveril Sixth Form College Learning Support Assistant Laura Stephens has won a Silver Award in the @Pearson National Teaching Awards. Stephens received the award for Digital Innovator of the Year during a surprise, socially distanced ceremony at the College on Wednesday 16th September 2020.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, founded in 1998 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 22nd year of celebrating award-winning teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and lecturers across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Laura Stephens was selected from thousands of nominations from across the country, to receive one of just 76 silver awards given across 14 categories. The Learning Support Assistant was recognised for her role in embedding the use of assistive technologies to reduce barriers to learning at Barton Peveril. This work was key in Barton Peveril winning the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA) Award for Independent Learning in 2019, as students with learning needs are among the 10% nationally for the progress they make in their college studies.

Stephens is now in the running for one of just 14 Gold Awards, which will be awarded in a programme broadcast on the BBC later this year. The programme will celebrate the exceptional achievements of staff who have worked tirelessly during the Covid-19 pandemic, to continue delivering a high quality of learning to students.

Barton Peveril Principal, Jonathan Prest, said:

“I am very proud of Laura, who is the first member of Barton Peveril staff to make it through all the rounds of the awards process to win a Pearson National Teaching Award. Laura hasn’t been with the College for long but the impact her work has made has been considerable.”

“This work is an extension of the work the College has undertaken over the past five years, using technology to prepare students for the future. In the current situation, the work of Laura and the wider college has meant students and staff were particularly well prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic. Well done, Laura!”