National Thank a Teacher Day: Castleford Academy teacher in running to win national award as school celebrates staff achievements

Head of Science, James Vause, is in the running for the prestigious award after successfully receiving the Silver award following his nomination earlier in the year as part of the Pearson National Teaching Awards.

It comes as the school celebrated National Thank a Teacher Day on Wednesday with a special thank you to staff from members of the Senior Leadership Team.

Headteacher Wesley Bush said: “Our dedicated team consistently demonstrates excellence in education, and it is gratifying to see their efforts acknowledged on a national scale.

"Their unwavering commitment to nurturing and inspiring our students is truly remarkable.”

James will attend an exclusive tea event in Mayfair with other Silver award winners after he was nominated and is one of only 10 to receive the award – one of whom will go on to win the prestigious Gold award.

After the initial nomination, the headteacher and CEO of the Trust provided the awards programme with further information, and judges spoke to staff, pupils and parents, and looked at further evidence including GCSE results data.

The awards ceremony is due to take place in November this year.

Two other staff members were also noted for their achievements, including Tracy Brownley, Leader of Offsite Provision and Safeguarding Officer, who received the Unsung Hero award for her “unwavering commitment and going above and beyond her duties” and Connor Betteridge, Second in Maths, who was recognised as a nominee for National Teacher of the Year.

The academy decided to use the annual celebration to recognise not only teachers but all their staff, renaming it as Thank You Staff Day to “honour the dedication and hard work of the Academy’s entire team.”

Pearson’s National Teaching Awards is an awards programme set up to celebrate leading UK teachers. The winners of the Gold award will be announced in November live on BBC One’s The One Show.