Cwmbran teacher Stacey Harris has been honoured as one of 102 Pearson National Teaching Silver Award winners across the country. She was elected from thousands of nominations.

Ms Harris won a Silver Award in The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School for their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children they work with every day.

Paul Keane, Executive Headteacher, The Federation of Blenheim Road Community & Coed Eva Primary Schools, Cwmbran, said: “As a Federation and school community, we are absolutely delighted that Stacey has been recognised and honoured in this way. Minute after minute, day on day, Stacey is the very model of passion, knowledge, skill and professionalism that we all aspire to be as teachers. The authentic learning experiences that she lives with her learners and the ambitions that she ignites within them and across our two schools are an inspiration to us all. We wish her the very best of luck for the next stage but she is already a hero to us.”

A spokesperson for the awards said: “Stacey Harris is a uniquely talented teacher, colleague and leader who provides inspiration to her class and peers every single day through her brilliant mix of skill, passion and inexhaustible enthusiasm. She seamlessly translates the excitement and power of her class teaching environment into a tangible vision for learning across the entire Federation, and works tirelessly with our children, colleagues, and community alike to ignite the sparks of lifelong learning and creativity.”

She has now been shortlisted to win one of just 15 Gold Awards later in the year, in a programme which will be broadcast on the BBC.

The Silver Award winners are being honoured as part of the wider celebrations for ‘Thank a Teacher Day’, a national campaign to honour and recognise school staff for their incredible work. The celebrations follow new data which shows how the previous year’s lockdowns have significantly changed how families across the country view the role of teachers.

New research from Parentkind and The Teaching Awards Trust highlights that three in four parents and carers have a newfound respect for the teaching profession following their experiences of remote learning during lockdown. 74.9% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they had more respect for the work that teachers do following their family’s experiences of remote learning.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of excellence in education, founded in 1998 by Lord Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people they work with. This year marks its 22nd year of celebrating, award-winning teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and lecturers across the UK.

Sir Michael Morpurgo, celebrated author and former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “Thank a Teacher Day gives us all a chance – children, families, all of us – to pay tribute to those wonderful educators who change more lives than they will ever know. Today we say thank you to the teachers who have helped our young people navigate these most difficult of times, and who will continue to inspire countless young minds over the coming years.”

Sadie Besley, Senior Director Operations, Randstad Education, said: “After the incredible challenges of the last year we have seen so many teachers go above and beyond to support their pupils. In an incredibly crowded field, Stacey stands out as a truly superb teacher who is making such a difference to the lives of their pupils.

“At Randstad we are so pleased to support these Awards to recognise the incredible work that teachers do in these most difficult of times. Schools deserve so much praise, and I am delighted that we can take this day to honour the hard work of every educator.”

Sharon Hague, Senior Vice President of Schools at Pearson UK, said: “After a year like no other we want to take today to say thank you to all the incredible school staff who have kept children and young people learning despite unprecedented challenges. We hope the celebrations today show how much you are appreciated, and that your hard work has not gone unnoticed nor unrecognised.”