Rewards of up to £100 are given every term to school staff in recognition of the contribution made to school life and supporting pupils and families. Schools can nominate one member of staff per year. The following incredible people received awards of £100 each during the Spring term 2025: Charlotte Frazer - Southmead Primary School, Braunton
Charlotte Frazer, Teaching Assistant and PE Meal Time Assistant at Southmead Primary School, Braunton, North Devon. Charlotte was nominated by her Headteacher and explains how rewarding she finds her role as a Teaching Assistant: “Being a teaching assistant is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding roles, where the children always come first. Every day, I have the privilege of guiding and supporting them, not only in their academic learning but also in their emotional and social development. My role is built on kindness, patience, and understanding, ensuring that each child feels valued and supported in their journey. A vital part of my role is working with children who have special educational needs (SEN), including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. I provide tailored support to help them overcome challenges and build confidence in their abilities. I also support Afghan children in learning English, understanding British culture, and embracing their new environment while respecting and celebrating their own traditions. Beyond the classroom, I offer emotional support to children on the playground, ensuring they feel safe, included, and happy. I also extend this support to families, working closely with parents to help children thrive both at school and at home. Whether a child is struggling academically, emotionally, or socially, I am always there to provide encouragement and reassurance. Working in a busy school environment means being part of a strong, supportive team. I understand the importance of teamwork and reliability, ensuring I never let my team down. The ability to adapt quickly is essential, as each day brings new challenges—whether stepping into a different classroom, assisting with different year groups, or responding to unexpected situations. Above all, I remain positive and motivated, always striving to be the best I can be for the children. I aim to instill strong morals, resilience, and a love for learning in every child I support, helping to shape them into kind, confident individuals ready for the future.” Charlotte’s Headteacher said the following: “Charlotte always goes above and beyond for staff, trainees and most of all our children and their families. Nothing is ever too much. She has undertaken training off her own back (as well as directed) which has made significant impact to the progress of our children - especially in Phonics. The children always come first and she will scoop them up to support their pastoral and social and emotional needs as well as their academics. She has worked with Trainee Teachers and Teaching Assistants and always offers them support. As I said before, nothing is ever too much. Like everyone, she has a lot going on but that does not affect her at work and she gives 100% to everything she does. Thank you Charlotte - you are a star!” Tina Elder, St Peter's CE Primary School, Budleigh Salterton
Tina Elder, Meal Time Assistant at St Peter’s CE Primary School, Budleigh Salterton. Tina was nominated by her Headteacher, who said: “Tina goes above and beyond in her role as a mealtime assistant, making a huge difference to our school. At Christmas, she sews costumes for pupils who don’t have one. When the kitchen is short-staffed, she steps in without hesitation. She bakes for every school fundraiser and always contributes to PTA events. She never seeks recognition—she just gives her time, skills, and kindness to help others. Tina is truly an unsung hero, and we are so grateful for everything she does. She absolutely deserves this award!” Tina explained: “I love my little job at St Peter’s School. I moved to Exmouth in 2021 from Bristol to wind down and be with family. I applied for the meal time assistant role at my granddaughter’s school. I love seeing the children and talking to them, finding out about their lives (they love to talk!). Having worked in catering all my life, I often help out and cover in the school kitchen too. I love baking and make cakes for as many bake sales as I can. I like to help out in any way and being able to sew, I make costumes and dressing up items for classes too. When our class are looking for items, I try to source them and get what they need. I haven’t got a lot of money but I have skills and time to offer, which I try to do. It’s a lovely school, staff are amazing but many resources are lacking so helping in any way is always good. I retire soon but hope to continue at the school while my health allows. Thank you once again.” Rebecca Haswell, Exwick Heights Primary School, Exeter
Rebecca Haswell, Teacher, Exwick Heights Primary School, Exeter. Rebecca was nominated by her Headteacher, who explained: “She is a true ray of sunshine at Exwick Heights. She rallies her team with enthusiasm and warmth, ensuring that everyone feels valued and supported. Her dedication to the children in her class is unwavering - she works tirelessly to provide them with the very best opportunities, always putting their needs first.” Megan Nahavandi-Pour, St George’s CE Primary School, Plymouth
Megan Nahavandi-Pour, Higher Level Teaching Assistant, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, Inclusion Lead and Family Support Worker at St George’s CE Primary School, Plymouth. Megan explains her role at St George's CE Primary School in Plymouth: “I am the Family Support Worker, DDSL, HLTA, Inclusion Lead and PE Ambassador at St George's CE Primary School. We're a small inclusive school with a village feel, located in the heart of Plymouth city. I support families with accessing services across Plymouth and hold community events with a range of organisations to help build on our local connections. I am passionate about being active for the benefit of our children’s health and well-being. We hold a field gun, running club, young carer and military club, this helps children build on life skills such as resilience, perseverance and team work to name a few.” Megan was nominated by her Headteacher, who said: “Meg is simply fabulous! No task is too much for her and she goes above and beyond for the children and families at our school. Meg is approachable, non-judgmental and engenders trust from those she supports. Meg is solution focused and has really creative ideas to reach the best conclusions. She is fully involved in the life of the school from taking children to sports events, running our military and young carers clubs and arranging fund raising events to arranging discos and other events (very often in her own time). She is upbeat and positive and has a great sense of humour. She is a colleague in a million and is genuinely a major part of what makes our school great. Thank you for everything you do Meg!” Congratulations to all those nominated this term and thank you for all the work you do to support staff, pupils and families across your school communities.
Applications are now open for our Summer term awards. More information can be found in our monthly newsletter.
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Job Vacancies Our new jobs board, South West Education Jobs, has been live for a few months and has already featured more than 110 jobs from over 40 schools. Here you will find vacancies in local schools and can register for alerts about new vacancies that are posted. To visit the new site, please click here. Schools can also post their vacancies for free on the site by clicking the 'Post a job' button in the top right hand corner of the homepage and following the User Guide here. |
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