Top of the class!

THE Examiner’s second Schools Awards ceremony was held at Kirklees College and it was an absolute privilege to share the room with such dedicated, hard working and inspirational teachers, support staff and pupils. It was also a privilege to share a table with the Mayor of Kirklees, councillor Christine Iredale, and her consort husband Robert as well as the host for the event, Look North presenter Harry Gration. Harry, a huge fan of the Examiner as well as a massive supporter of teachers and pupils alike as he is a former history teacher himself, did a tremendous job of entertaining the audience as he announced the winners of the 11 categories. He touched on his own humorous anecdotes from the classroom while summarising why each finalist had made it through to the shortlist. When it comes to events like these it is always a difficult and demanding judging process to decide on the winner of each category. But I am a big believer that everyone who attended the event is a winner. We heard about some extraordinary work going on in classrooms around the district and everyone should be very proud of the effort they put in to make the education system what it is in very demanding and challenging times. As I mentioned on the day, I know first hand how much work teachers do thanks to my partner Debbie’s role as a secondary school English teacher. Your work often goes unrecognised but you are doing a fantastic job in ensuring schools in Kirklees are as successful as they can be. There were some tremendous examples of staff and pupils going above and beyond due to their love for education and each one of you should be applauded. These awards are made possible thanks to executive sponsors Vision for Education and category sponsor Kirklees College. They allow the Examiner to continue to salute the people who are at the heart of our communities and who are ensuring each and every child they work with get the start in life they deserve. Well done everyone - you are a credit to your school and profession.