Peterborough secondary school wins at ‘teaching Oscars’

The Pearson National Teaching Awards, known as the ‘Oscars’ of the teaching profession, were established in 1998 by Lord Puttnam as a means of recognising and celebrating excellence in education.

Queen Katharine Academy in Mountsteven Avenue, Walton, which is part of the Thomas Deacon Education Trust, was commended for its ‘Roma - Narrowing the Gap’ team in school.

All staff are responsible for supporting its local Gypsy-Roma community, as well as collaborating with other organisations locally, nationally and internationally to share good practice and raise awareness.

The team also founded a regional English as an additional language hub to share best practice and provide regular training to support Roma education.

Lynn Mayes, principal of Queen Katharine Academy, said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised in the Pearson National Teaching Awards.

“Our Roma team do an incredible job of hosting training and informative workshops for education, healthcare and community organisations, as well as raising aspirations for young Roma individuals in our community.

“The award is testament to all the hard work they’ve put in and further cements our position as an inclusive centre of educational excellence.”

For its prize, Queen Katharine Academy was presented with a silver teaching award trophy on June 23 - National Thank a Teacher Day.

As silver teaching award winners, the school will also be considered for a gold teaching award. The results of this are expected to be announced in the autumn.