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16 October 2006
Susan Ward, who teaches at Juniper Green Primary School in Edinburgh, was presented with the Award for Outstanding New Teacher at The Teaching Awards on Sunday. Susan was awarded the UK Training and Development Agency for Schools Teaching Award at the ceremony held at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Susan along with the other UK Teaching Award winners were chosen from a gathering of 144 exceptional teachers, heads, governors and schools which included three other Scottish finalists - Raigmore Primary School; Anne Paterson, Head Teacher, Inveraray Primary School; and Alistair Tait from Fortrose Academy. The winners, accompanied by friends, family, colleagues and pupils, were congratulated by celebrities and VIPs in a televised 60-minute show for BBC2.
Scottish Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"Susan Ward has done brilliantly well in winning the UK Teaching Award for Outstanding New Teacher. I am delighted for her. Her hard work and dedication typify the quality of our new teachers and it is great that this has been recognised in this way. She is an inspiration to everyone working to make Scottish education excellent and I join with her pupils, colleagues, community and family in celebrating her success."
Susan may be one of a rare breed who was born to teach and seems to possess a special gift. The national judges observed an individual who makes teaching look easy but who has a mature understanding of how children learn and what makes them tick.
From a teaching dynasty, Susan is a very active teacher with a flair for acting, singing and mime. With a degree from Glasgow in English, film and television she was a winner in the Scottish Young Writer of the Year (writing in dialect) in 2000 and clearly has a love of language.
Her classroom is a treasure trove where young children (a P1 class) know exactly what is expected of them and why, but where the atmosphere is comfortable and warm. She totally engages her pupils and through puppetry encourages active learning and independence; for instance 'Snap Happy Larry, the crocodile' gobbles up what the children tell him they have learned each day.
Her highly developed and individual approach to learning impressed the judges and has put her on the national stage in Scotland, particularly in relation to emotional literacy. Her methods for using music to enhance learning are part of her regular classroom practice - 'Mission Impossible' plays when it's time to tidy up; and Corrinne Bailey Rae's hit 'Like a Star' is the introduction to daily phonics.
Susan's influence within the school is profound and her can-do approach has been infectious. In a short time she has earned the support and admiration of more experienced colleagues. Several colleagues emphasized and her professional humility and a happy union of natural flair and capacity for hard work
The universal praise heaped upon her by her headteacher, colleagues from every team in the school, pupils, parents and the school improvement officer of the local education authority, was borne out by everything the judges saw of her in action.
The Teaching Awards is open to every school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The awards were established by Lord Puttnam CBE in 1998 and are managed by The Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity. The Trust's mission is to celebrate excellence and promote best practice in education.
The Teaching Awards works closely with the Scottish Executive and Scottish Education Awards on a selection of awards. For the second year running winners from the Scottish Education Awards will also be considered alongside winners from England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the 2006 UK Teaching Award in four categories.
The Teaching Awards 2006 is sponsored by BT, The Guardian, The Department for Education and Skills, the DfES Innovation Unit, Promethean, the Training and Development Agency for Schools and the Royal Air Force.
The 11 award categories are:
In association with Education Scotland