Teach Portsmouth Awards 2025

Lily-Mae is passionate, hardworking, and dedicated. She supports children with SEND and SEMH, engages in continuous learning, and applies coaching feedback. Her reflective practice drives her growth.

Lucy provides the best education for all children. Since qualifying in 2022, she has tirelessly supported pupils with SEND, embraced development opportunities, and shared her knowledge.

Sam has significantly impacted the school's science education. He redesigned the curriculum to focus on disciplinary knowledge, introduced mascots, and inspired staff.

Lily is an outstanding history teacher. She develops lessons and resources and supports colleagues. Lily's efforts have improved student attendance and engagement.

Michaela has made a significant impact on key stage one. She builds strong connections with children and staff, listens to feedback, and continually improves.

Vikki became community hub lead for United Learning Cluster in 2023. At the time, there was only one stay and play group taking place in Paulsgrove. She transformed exisiting efforts into cohesive support services, creating beloved spaces for residents and organisations to connect.

She has worked with multiple partners to offer a full range of sessions within the community and has been instrumental in setting up 'coffee and connect' monthly meetings. Vikki is inspiring others across the academy trust. She is a community superstar!

The City of Portsmouth College ESOL team teaches English to 500+ local residents, including refugees and asylum seekers. They help students take national exams, improve digital skills, and attend job fairs.

The ESOL team give students a safe, friendly and non-judgemental experience. Lessons build confidence and enable them to make friends. They also learn about each other's cultures and helps them to become more productive members of the local community.

PATCH, Stamshaw School's PTA, raised £11,055.75 in 2023/2024, organising community events like summer fetes and school discos. These events have not only been enjoyable and memorable but have played a key role in strengthening the sense of community.

They have paid for pizzas to celebrate the achievements of year six leavers, covered the cost of transport for school trips and provided sports day medals to recognise pupil achievements.

Becks has ensured excellent learning and care during significant changes. She developed a bespoke curriculum, supported vulnerable children, trained new staff, and worked with parents.

Her work has included supporting the most vulnerable children to make a positive start to learning whilst developing leadership skills in her newly acquired role as acting nursery manager.

Lisa goes above and beyond in all aspects of her work, ensuring every child is welcomed and settled. She supports children and families within their settings.

She sources food parcels, conducts home visits for SEND children, and offers emotional support. Lisa ensures key skills are delivered through play, supports staff, and mentors' apprentices.

Jayne works with Joanne and Michelle in their pre-school. Joanne has supported families and colleagues for 25 years. She supports parents and children at the setting and goes above and beyond, fostering a positive atmosphere.

Michelle has worked at the pre-school since 2000 as a room leader, providing a nurturing environment for all.

Emma has managed the Roberts Day Nursery for two years. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm have made the nursery a busy, happy environment where every child feels valued.

Emma is committed to helping staff develop their learning and individual specialisms. Recent training includes the My Happy Minds programme and Early Talk Boost. Carers have commented that the nursery offers support to the whole family, not just the child.

Kate's dedication and expertise has supported non-verbal pupils. Through her innovative use of Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS), she has greatly improved the quality of interactions and learning experiences for these children, ensuring they remain engaged and supported throughout their educational journey.

Kate has thoughtfully designed activities tailored to the unique learning needs of each child, promoting their development and success. Additionally, her commitment to integrating these pupils into mainstream classes has enabled them to become valued members of their class communities, fostering social connections and a sense of belonging.

Laura supports SEN children. She advises staff, supports the broader community, and develops different approaches. Her efforts ensure an inclusive and supportive environment.

She has dedicated her time in class to supporting all aspects of children of SEN to help them understand their developing bodies, sexuality and emotions.

Laura’s work to develop, and implement, an approach to SEMH that is inclusive for all children, no matter their cognitive development, has made a huge difference across the school, giving children understanding, and strategies to support, their emotional needs.

Paul is part of the Game-changer team and helps manage data that enables staff to track the progress of every child's engagement in various opportunities.

This ensures every child is known, every child can be targeted and supported to engage in extra curricular activities. This includes sports day, Pursuit Week, STEM days, trips and residential experiences.

Tegan has implemented a character development curriculum which increases children’s enrichment opportunities, strengthens relationships across year groups and teaches children about values, virtues and their own character.

She has worked closely with the Jubilee Centre for Character Excellence and has created a clear structure for how the school teach children character through mind, body and soul, as opposed to character which is caught.

Tegan’s introduction of the character development curriculum is making an impact on children’s social and moral understanding. They will become great citizens of the future.

Seymour uses humour and creativity in his work, adding value to the lives of students and families at The Lighthouse.

Using digital devices, Seymour utilises camera and drone technology alongside project based learning, to support children.

Seymour builds strong relationships, especially with SEN/vulnerable children, using his professional experiences to enrich their lives.

Chris is a hugely valued member of the pastoral team and leads Temeraire House. He has recently joined the leadership team to continue his work and widen the positive impact he has had on improving students’ attendance.

Chris has designed a peer mentoring scheme which would see key stage three students supported by year 10 and 11s. The scheme included weekly student mentoring meetings, half termly celebration events, group breakfasts to celebrate successes and regular contact with parents.

This has resulted in improved attendance by 7% compared to the previous year and enabled us to build stronger relationships.

Llewela has been working in Portsmouth since 1972, including time spent at Manor Court Secondary, St John’s College, Portsmouth High School, Mayville High School, and College Park Infants, where she was assistant headteacher and SENCO between 1987 to 2010.

After a short period of retirement, she joined Court Lane Juniors in January 2018, where she has worked tirelessly as a teaching assistant ever since. She provides continuous support and guidance to staff around her, and children working within her care have the highest-quality bespoke provision due to her intricate knowledge and proficiency.

Llewela is the epitome of professionalism and continues to have a lasting impact for children with SEND at Court Lane Juniors. She has created a legacy for supporting children, and their families, across Portsmouth for over 50 + years.

Christine has been a teacher and senior leader in schools for 36 years. She has undertaken many roles during this time including deputy headteacher and is now currently a head of school at Meon Junior School.

Her passion for ‘every child to be a reader’ has been infectious across the community. One of her greatest pleasures is to give out the millionaire readers badge to celebrate individuals for reading a million words.

During her career, Christine has mentored and supported teachers and middle leaders. Her supportive yet challenging approach has ensured their success. She has dedicated her career to Portsmouth's children and has touched the lives of class teachers and leaders.

Claire has introduced and developed relational and restorative practices, benefitting students and staff. She has worked with colleagues and delivered extensive training to help embed explicit ways of working relationally which extend beyond our school community.

This work continues to benefit the young people of Portsmouth across primary, secondary and college settings and has supported falling suspension rates, increased pupil attendance and reports of improved staff wellbeing and retention.

This continued work sees Claire now working with the Restorative Lab, facilitating a city-wide leadership course which focuses on research led practice and supports colleagues across all sectors to learn about conflict resolution and incorporate purposeful opportunities to build, maintain and repair relationships into their settings.

Samantha has the energy, passion and determination to support students who have raised nearly £1000 during the last academic year by carrying out community projects.

This has allowed students to gain a perspective over their contributions and see its impact on the community. She has mentored fledgling teachers and will always be a team player no matter how busy she is herself.

Maggie has helped a shy and quiet child who avoids activities to flourish. The child chose not to participate in sports day or dancing as they felt embarrassed. Maggie has supported this child with her patient and professional approach. As a result, the child's confidence has improved. They have even sung on their own in the school nativity in front of an audience.

Leanne treats every child as her own, making school enjoyable and creating a safe, comforting, and loving environment. She has taught both my children and still supports them as if they were in her class. If any pupil is ever having any troubles or worries, Leanne is the first person they go to. She is more than just a teaching assistant, she is a child’s home where they feel secure.

Donna has been my child's 1:1 communicator for nearly two years, providing essential support for their deafness. Donna ensures they have equal access to learning and has taught the whole school to sign. This really makes my child feel included. I've even seen their friends signing to them.

Helen has worked diligently for over 20 years supporting students, especially children in care. She started at the school as a teaching assistant and soon became an adult vulnerable students could trust. Helen currently works with children in care. She understands the need for consistency, firm boundaries when supporting these children.

Helen has worked with children who present with a high level of need due to circumstances beyond their control and yet does this with complete professionalism, working alongside colleagues from social care and other outside agencies to ensure the children have the best possible pastoral care.

Helen goes the extra mile daily – rearranging her day so that she can manage the needs of these young people, including visiting them in the home, sitting with them to support with their homework, going to lesson with them or just offering a friendly familiar voice so they can offload.

Justine is a higher-level teaching assistant who works within the English team.  Her commitment to ensuring all children have the capability to be successful readers is evidenced through the numerous pupils she works with and positive outcomes for the school.

She has played a crucial role in ensuring all key stage one pupils become competent readers by implementing structured phonics teaching, carefully timetabling sessions to meet individual needs, and personalising provision for SEN pupils. For key stage two, she has developed a bespoke programme to provide targeted support ensuring the provision stretches across the primary school.

Her exceptional skills and knowledge are invaluable at Highbury and the reading within the school is richer because of her.

Emilie has been instrumental in establishing an inclusive and effective EAL provision that is invaluable to the school community. Starting her journey at the school as a learning support assistant, Emilie quickly identified the need for rigorous academic support and fostering inclusion for our growing population of EAL pupils.

Since becoming our EAL co-ordinator, she has dedicated herself to unlocking academic barriers to pupils’ aspirations.

Working tirelessly to support our most vulnerable students, Emilie ensures that pupils receive the academic assistance and social enrichment they need to become their best selves and thrive in our school community. Supporting the Aspire Mentor team, Emilie has helped to develop a meaningful and effective reading intervention programme; resulting in a literacy strategy that is literally changing life chances.

Arundel Court thrives thanks to a dedicated team committed to families. They provide food, clothes, support services, and even emergency fostering.

Families at the school trust the team and feel safe to share personal experiences knowing that all help comes without judgement. This team does not work to set hours, if a child is in need they stay until they are confident they are safe.

Their first response to any member of our community is to offer a cup of tea and help, to listen and to hear their voice. This comes regardless of how big or small the worry or upset is.

Irene has worked at the school since 2002 in different roles. She has been a lunchtime supervisor and cleaner. Irene is currently a teaching assistant supporting a pupil with complex needs. She also works as a librarian, instilling the love of books for many pupils.

She has helped organise and promote community events such as the reading challenges, Portsmouth Book Awards and author visits. Irene has also promoted World Book Day in the community by running sibling story sessions for pre-school children.

The children relish the opportunity to go to the library where Irene reads stories with passion and enthusiasm. Pupils and staff love working with Irene due to her nurturing, calm and kind-hearted demeanour.

Tracy ensures a positive learning environment, feeding 1250 students and 160 staff daily, and excels in community events. Her leadership and dedication make her invaluable.

Tracy is a catering manager and a true unsung hero. She collaborates with all stakeholders and does it with a smile.

She leads a large team of staff and they are excellent due to her leadership. Her work is essential in ensuring students make the most of their learning every day.

Tracy values student opinion and regularly welcomes student voice for feedback and ensuring the students receive healthy options they like. Tracey understands the importance of quality catering provision in helping our students to be happy and healthy and therefore have a better chance to learn and succeed. Tracy is brilliant and we are so grateful.

For over a decade, Andrew has led the gardening club, inspiring students to grow fruit and vegetables. His efforts have empowered children, fostering new skills and self-belief.

The students who work with Andrew see it as a huge highlight of the week; they share their produce and talk with excitement about what they will be doing next.

Andrew has re-engaged and reached out to those students who find it harder to find a sense of belonging or build relationships.

He has given some very vulnerable children the opportunity and outlet to be really successful and feel like they have learnt new skills, equipping them with qualities that will help them once they leave the school.

Sally is a retired teacher who supports reception and year one children with reading. She builds strong relationships and is a well-loved member of our community.

Sally understands our children’s experiences and how they might be feeling. She adapts her teaching to best support individuals emotionally as well as academically.

Sally recently visited Arundel Castle with our year two children three days in a row. On the third day Arundel Castle staff expressed an interest in Sally volunteering with them as they had seen how excellent she is with the children.

Lauren is an invaluable member of the school community, dedicating countless hours to enhancing the school library and supporting their pupils' love of reading.

She has played a vital role in setting up the library, meticulously labelling and logging books, and implementing a computerised system to ensure smooth access for all pupils.

Her ongoing efforts in maintaining the library’s efficiency allow every child to benefit from a well-organised and engaging reading space. Beyond the library, she is a devoted member of the PTA, generously giving her time to seek out fundraising opportunities.

Sharon is the school's pastoral lead and Jasmine is part of the pastoral team working in her role as ELSA. They have both worked tirelessly to support children, staff, and parents of the Highbury community.

Their dedication to the team goes beyond their role profile, seeking out charities to ensure the needs of the children and their families are fully met. Their recent work with the ‘Simon Says’ charity has demonstrated their commitment to supporting families with bereavement concerns.

They have worked closely with the charity completing an action plan, facilitating staff training, attending bereavement groups, supporting children and families and evidencing the impact of their work.

Due to their hard work and commitment, the school has been recognised as a Simon Says Champion School.

Emma excels in supporting students and staff, fostering a culture of care. As a listener and adviser, she creates an open, supportive space where staff feel heard and valued.

Her proactive approach ensures that every individual has the tools and support they need to thrive, both professionally and personally.

Emma's ability to balance her responsibilities while fostering a culture of care makes her a true asset to our school community.

Victoria is an outdoor classroom apprentice. She has offered every year seven student (250 students) a six-week experience in the on-site outdoor classroom.

Tor has created an inclusive environment full of respect and opportunities to develop our Game-changer characteristics. Student feedback has been incredibly positive. Students have loved the experience and have gained chances to meet other peers out of their usual groups, making important connections.

She has arranged for students to do outdoor cooking together and learn bushcraft. Her commitment to student enjoyment is exceptional.