School superheroes assemble! Portsmouth’s education workforce recognised for going above and beyond

Portsmouth's education superheroes from across 62 schools are being thanked for their hard work with hampers funded by organisations in the city.

Messages from more than 600 families for staff members who have gone above and beyond for pupils will feature inside the hamper, printed onto posters for schools to display.

To mark the occasion, a hamper giving ceremony was held at Arundel Court Primary Academy and Cliffdale Primary Academy. The event was attended by council leaders and senior school representatives.

Sarah Daly (centre) presenting hamper to Nicola Payne and Beth Arnold from Cliffdale Primary Academy

Sarah Daly, director, children, families and education at Portsmouth City Council said:

"Every year, we recognise the amazing contribution of school staff in different ways. This year, we've asked parents and carers in the city to share a special thank you message with us - so we can shine a light on the city's education superheroes.

"I had the pleasure to meet some of those staff at the event and present a hamper to them in recognition of their work. This is a small token of our appreciation. We want school staff to know how much they are valued by us and their community."

Caterlink, Solent Academies Trust, Tesco and UK Flyers have helped fund or provide items for each hamper.

Image credit: Sarah Standing/The News, Portsmouth - L to R - Mike Stoneman, Ruth Worswick and Dawn Spreadbury

Ruth Worswick, head teacher at Arundel Court Primary Academy hosted a hamper giving event. Ruth said:

"Ever since the initiative launched, we encouraged our families and staff to thank people who have supported them in unique ways. This hamper and the thank you messages inside have given everyone a little boost before the end of term.

"We will display these wonderful thank you messages in our reception area - so everyone can see the impact our teams make."

A second ceremony was held at Cliffdale Primary Academy attended by representatives from Solent Academies Trust.

Sharon Burt, CEO, Solent Academies Trust presenting a hamper to Katie Dalipe, Charlotte Bleacher and Louise Quaid from Redwood Park Academy

Charlotte Bleacher, a teacher at Redwood Park Academy, which is a Solent Academies Trust school, accepted the hamper after being thanked by a parent/carer.

In the message, the parent/carer said: "Thank you very much for all that you do for my child. Also Dawn and Tom. You all go above and beyond as their teachers. We appreciate it very much!"

Charlotte said:

"While I know the message is for the three of us, I am part of a huge team of teaching and support staff who work tirelessly to educate pupils - they deserve recognition too. It's an absolute pleasure to work for Redwood Park Academy and teach the amazing pupils who attend.

"I would like to thank the family who put me and my team forward - I am grateful for the recognition; it was genuinely an uplifting feeling. "

The hampers were organised by Teach Portsmouth, a Portsmouth City Council service, who support the recruitment and retention of the city's education workforce. This is part of two initiatives to celebrate the achievements of Portsmouth's school staff.

A celebration event at Portsmouth Guildhall will recognise those who have worked in the city's schools for two decades or more. School staff will enjoy afternoon tea and attend an award giving ceremony alongside city leaders.

For more information on the 'thank a school superhero' initiative, visit www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/celebrates

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