Happy Days for the Teaching Awards
Thank you Henry Winkler aka The Fonz! We won the ‘Who’s calling Christian?’ competition on Absolute Radio, so that is an amazing £40,000 to put towards Teaching Awards projects.
Thank you to everyone who voted and, above all, thank you to all the inspirational teachers who dedicate their careers to helping children achieve their potential.
Henry achieved one third of the public vote (33.31%). The four other finalists were: Dawn French, William Shatner, Simon Cowell and Boris Johnson.
Henry is an ambassador for excellence in education and a patron of the Teaching Awards Trust. He is dyslexic and has written a series of children's books about a character called Hank Zipzer, based on his own childhood experiences and aimed at supporting children with special educational needs.
On hearing that he had won the competition, Henry, based in Los Angeles, said: 'Oh my gosh, this is amazing! On behalf of the Teaching Awards, I'm overwhelmed, deeply humbled, so grateful and you can all start your weekends knowing you've done a wonderful thing.
‘To Jackie De Saulles, who was the first Teaching Award winner I ever met, who was my inspiration, thank you. The Teaching Awards really deserve it and thank you for giving me the opportunity to win this for teachers.’
Sophie Byatt, managing director of the Teaching Awards said: ‘Thank you Henry, we love you Henry! You are the coolest person on the planet. Every child deserves an education, every child deserves to be happy and we know that's what teachers can achieve. They give kids confidence and we give them the chance to say 'thank you' to their teachers.’
Jackie De Saulles, a teacher at Howard primary school in Croydon, and winner of BT Teacher of the Year in a Primary School in London in 2005 said: ‘Henry is such a lovely man who really understands the encouragement that children need and what it takes to be a good teacher. It's fantastic news and we are all thrilled for him and for the Teaching Awards.’
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said: ‘The Teaching Awards is a fantastic celebration and recognition of teachers, so congratulations to Henry Winkler and the Teaching Awards for winning such a worthwhile competition.’
