A Newcastle primary school has won a teaching award so prestigious it is dubbed an ‘Oscar of education’.

St John’s Primary School has received a Silver Teaching Award from the Pearson’s National Teaching Awards, beating thousands of other schools to scoop the honour.

St John’s is one of only 68 schools to have won such an award and one of only five to be selected in the Primary School of the Year category.

And St John’s might soon be enjoying even more success. The school has been shortlisted for one of just 13 Gold Awards.

St John’s will find out if they have won such an award at a glamorous ceremony hosted at The Roundhouse in London on 20th October.

The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC 2 as part of Britain’s Classroom Heroes, which is a showcase of excellence in education.

Established in 1988 by Lord Puttnam, the Pearson’s National Teaching Awards are an annual celebration of incredible teachers. The awards acknowledge the life-changing effect that inspiring teachers can have on the lives of young people.

Following its nomination for the award, St John’s Primary School was visited by two judges, who examined all aspects of the way the school operates. This included the school’s relationship with the wider community and the support the school offers for parents and carers.

St John’s provides a range of support to its pupils and their families, including adult education classes and after-school and holiday clubs.

Turf@StJohn’s – a sports and community building – is not only used by the school, but also by local community groups and voluntary organisations.

Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, Cllr Veronica Dunn, said, “I would like to say a huge congratulations to all the pupils, teachers and staff at St John’s Primary School for scooping this prestigious accolade.”

“The school has become a valuable part of the community and their adult education programme, supporting parents from a variety of backgrounds to develop their skills and confidence, is a fantastic addition to the school.”

“It is important schools across Newcastle evolve and meet the needs of their communities as well as the pupils who attend. St John’s is a brilliant example of this model in action.”

The Silver Teaching Award was recently presented to St John’s in a special ceremony at the school by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle Cllr David Cook.

The headteacher of St John’s said, “This award is special because it recognises the amazing things that can happen when a team of great people work together to make a difference in their community.”

“We’ve created a place where our children and adults can learn and develop alongside each other – a real community hub – and that’s something we’re all incredibly proud of.”

(The featured image shows the headteacher of St John’s Primary School receiving the Silver Teaching Award from the Lord Mayor of Newcastle Cllr David Cook.)


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