For those of you that I didn’t meet at the PEP summer conference, it is good to be able to say hello and give a brief introduction and update on my time so far. My name is Frances Soul. I live in Hampshire but have worked in schools across England and also with education providers in South Africa, India, and USA. I have had a rich, varied and possibly atypical career in education and aim to use this to the benefit of the PEP as your Chair. As I said when I joined the PEP summer conference I won’t waste space and time on my CV, just ‘Google me’ if you want to know more.

More importantly, last week I had the pleasure of meeting a few members of the PEP strategic board face to face. It was so good to start visiting Portsmouth schools and see and hear from those leading some of the priority strands of year 2 of the PEP strategy. I heard from Natalie Sheppard about the digital innovation coming out of TSAT and collaboration across the PEP on the Digital Drive, and from Matt Johnson at Copnor Primary on the priorities for the language and literacy strand. If you have not yet read it do take a look at the Approaches to Reading document, which was a true collaborative development that came from the wider group last year.

Inclusion is a strong theme of the PEP and I was delighted to be able to visit Mary Rose Academy to meet Sharon Burt and hear of her work within Solent Academies Trust and also the collaborative initiatives with the PEP for inclusion for all schools and children from EY to post-16. Speaking of post-16, I then moved on to meet Simon Barrable and hear how a more unified strategy for post-16 provision has been enabled through the creation of the City of Portsmouth College and their collaboration on the priority to improve post-16 impact and reduce NEET. Finally with Jane Bush at Langstone Junior Academy, UniCAT, I heard about her leadership of the primary heads group for the year and the work coming out of the Solent Maths Hub for which she is currently the PEP representative.

Without exception I was greeted with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to working together for the good of all children and young people in the schools and colleges across Portsmouth. I look forward to meeting more of you over the coming weeks and months and leading the strategic board on your behalf to even greater impact and success.

Please do feel free to contact me directly on [email protected] with any questions, suggestions or even an invitation to meet. I will always respond!

Frances Soul
PEP Independent Chair

An inspirational head teacher has been recognised by his local community in an annual awards ceremony for teachers with a surprise trophy giving at his school.

Local residents have recognised head teacher, Ashley Howard for his efforts to support pupils and their families during the pandemic which included delivering food parcels and acting as a crossing patrol person when a colleague was feeling unwell.

The surprise event was held in front of pupils and staff in the school playground. Councillor Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council who presented the award said:

“The people’s choice award has given Portsmouth an opportunity to applaud staff for their efforts during the last two academic years. Those who work in schools and colleges have gone above and beyond in so many ways.

“The response was overwhelming. Ashley received the biggest share of nominations by far. It was only right that we congratulated Ashley in front of his colleagues and pupils as a way to recognise everything he has achieved.”

With school and college staff working at a pace to provide COVID secure environments for pupils, the impact of their actions has often been immeasurable. Parents and governors have praised their efforts during a period of rapid change. While staff see this as part of their job, local residents view these actions differently as going above and beyond the call of duty.

The people’s choice category has given school and college communities a voice by allowing them to nominate a teacher, learning support assistant or head teacher who has supported them throughout the pandemic.

Teach Portsmouth, part of Portsmouth City Council promote the recruitment and retention of teachers in the city. Every year, an awards ceremony for the city’s education workforce are held to celebrate their achievements.

Mark Waldron, editor of The News who was present for the award giving as sponsor said:

“The News has supported the Teach Portsmouth Awards since it was created. This year, we were given the opportunity to sponsor the people’s choice award, allowing the city to tell us who deserved a collective thank you.

“Ashley Howard is a very worth winner. While he is very humble, his efforts to support the community have not gone unnoticed.”

During the pandemic, Ashley supported parents and carers in all manner of situations, even stepping into the role of a lollipop person. One parent said:

“Mr Howard has gone above and beyond during the pandemic to support and encourage the school community with great YouTube videos and resources which have helped with at home learning. He always ensures the safety of pupils, even stepping in as lollipop person when a colleague was feeling unwell.”

Local residents were asked to submit a supporting statement to explain why their nominee deserved the award. Examples included those delivering food parcels during lockdown, school staff calling home to ensure their pupils were okay and supporting parents with at home learning.

Ashley Howard, head teacher at Highbury Primary School reflected on winning the award:

“I would like to say a huge thank you to the local community for nominating me for the people’s choice award. It is an amazing feeling to be recognised.

“While the award has my name on it, I want people to know that it is recognition of all of our efforts as a school. Whether that’s our learning and teaching team or our amazing pupils, this is an award for all of us.”

As part of The Teach Portsmouth Awards Live ceremony, a special film was created to capture the award giving at Highbury Primary School. To watch the virtual awards, visit www.teachportsmouth.co.uk/awards.

A list of top teachers, support teams and leaders have been revealed in the people’s choice category for the Teach Portsmouth Awards Live.

Teach Portsmouth, part of Portsmouth City Council, promotes teacher recruitment and retention in the city. In January, local residents were asked to nominate a school or college team member who had gone above and beyond to support their community during the pandemic.

The category was created in response to the unique and challenging situation COVID-19 presented for those working in education settings. Inspirational stories of teachers calling home to check on children and head teachers delivering food parcels have featured in supporting statements submitted for the category.

Councillor Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, said:

“Schools and colleges have done an amazing job supporting vulnerable families as well as making sure everyone remains connected in a safe and secure way. This has made a huge difference to local residents home-schooling children during each lockdown. It was only right that we allowed local residents to nominate a teacher, support team or head teacher in an all-new category.

“When looking online, it is clear that those who feature in the list have left a lasting impression on the local community.”

Parents and carers of children and young people in the city have shared their experiences of those who have gone above and beyond. Annaliese Campbell, learning mentor and wellbeing lead at Langstone Junior Academy has supported the whole school during the pandemic. One parent said:

“Langstone Junior Academy is always excellent at supporting their pupils but they have worked especially hard during the pandemic. Mrs Campbell works tirelessly to support pupils and parents alike and has consistently been available.  She sends out regular and carefully thought out wellbeing exercises, resources and advice.”

While many pupils were learning from home, schools never closed, with many teachers supporting keyworker children and young people in the classroom. Another parent said headteacher, Jackie Collins at Devonshire Infant School had made their child feel comforted:

“Since the start of the pandemic, parents were not allowed to bring their children into the school. Ms Collins personally greeted every child outside. She knows every name, deals with every query, every forgotten packed lunch and every tearful child. This daily undertaking is appreciated. Thank you for caring so much, Ms Collins.”

In previous years, the Teach Portsmouth Awards has only allowed headteachers in schools and colleges to take part in nominating their staff. For the first time, local residents could nominate a teacher, learning support assistant or headteacher in an education setting.

Mike Stoneman, deputy director for children, families and education at Portsmouth City Council, said:

“The last 18 months has been a challenging time for many of us, including teachers. The introduction of the people’s choice award category is a natural next step in recognising the amazing contributions from those who work in education.

“Each entry has a personal story attached to it with many instances of colleagues supporting families in profound ways. This new category provides Portsmouth with an opportunity to say a collective thank you to those who work in education.”

The Teach Portsmouth Awards have been held at iconic locations across the city including the Gaiety Bar on Southsea Pier. Due to social distancing, this year’s event will be streamed virtually through Zoom video conferencing.

The Teach Portsmouth Awards Live will take place on Thursday 8 July featuring celebrity host, Reverend Richard Coles. There are 9 award categories which showcase the talents and dedication of Portsmouth’s education community.

The awards are sponsored by local organisations including Portsmouth College, National Education Union (NEU), The University of Portsmouth, Caterlink, BAE Systems, Kier Construction, Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT), Express FM and The News.

To view those recognised in the people’s choice award category, visit: teachportsmouth.co.uk/awards.

Teach Portsmouth’s next webinar focusing on changing career to teaching will take place on Wednesday 27 January from 4pm – 5pm.