Winners inspired at the tenth anniversary summit
Caroline Evans, chief executive of the Teaching Awards with Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Olympic Games
‘Liberated’, ‘empowered’,’ ‘stimulated’ and ‘refreshed’; ‘no negativity, even when the talking got tough’.
‘If we could bottle the enthusiasm, passion, expertise and friendship of all the people present we would be very rich indeed.’
That’s how award winners felt at the end of a two-day summit hosted by founding chairman Lord Puttnam, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Teaching Awards and to debate a vision of education for the next decade.
The summit brought together almost 100 winners from every year of the past decade - executive heads, deputies, class teachers and teaching assistants – to a top- class venue in deepest Hampshire.
They came from schools all around Britain - from Rhyll in north Wales to Saltash in Cornwall, from Lisburn in Northern Ireland to Ashington in Northumberland. Their wish-list for the decade ahead – thrashed out in small groups, the mass audience and in late-night conversations - will be sent to Education Secretary Ed Balls.
Champion athlete Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organising committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, met award winners in the opening session and spoke particularly of the four-year build up to 2012.
‘We want the Games to inspire young people to do things they have never done before, and to involve the teachers in their schools. As well as sporting endeavour, we want the Games to excite young web designers, student journalists, trainee electricians. There is much to share.’
At a Question Time-style session, chairman James Naughtie, a presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme, deftly managed a range of topics including the requirement in job advertisements for headteachers to ‘have a sense of humour’.
Broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, who generated much laughter herself, said some teachers felt embattled and the jokes they told reflected that. ‘Education is about people and you just can’t imagine a head without a sense of humour,’ said Elizabeth Reid of the Specialist Schools and Academies, a co-sponsor of the summit. ‘Laughter’, observed Lord Puttnam, ‘makes you feel better.’
Asked whether education was too important to be in the hands of politicians, Keith Bartley, chief executive of the General Teaching Council and another co-sponsor said: ‘Sometimes it feels like there’s a gulf between politicians and the authoritative voice of teachers. But it is vital that the Government listens because the frustrations can be addressed.’
