Sue King from Woodham Community Technology College in Newton Aycliffe has been announced as the winner of The Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School in the North for the 2012 Pearson Teaching Awards.
Sue was shortlisted from a record number of nominations and will join the other winning teachers from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the prestigious UK Ceremony which will be aired on BBC2 in the autumn.
This is what the judges and others had to say about Sue…
“Sue King is an outstanding Head of the History department and leads with vigour and passion and has a direct influence on all of her staff. She is described as an inspirational teacher who uses her exceptional subject knowledge to deliver creative and innovative lessons that fully engage all students.
Her lessons have a real buzz and students are happy and confident learners, because of her dedication and commitment. All of the students that Sue teaches describe her as their best teacher. They know that she offers unconditional respect and has a genuine desire to see them achieve their very best. A parent recently wrote to the school describing Sue as “a model professional who has done wonders to motivate my son and share with him her passion for her subject.”
Creativity is the hallmark of her History teaching. This is clearly shown everywhere in her classroom which is decorated throughout with 3D models of castles, first world war trenches and many other authentic artefacts.
Learning is an active process, with students fully engaged, making and doing, observing and explaining. This creative approach has been instrumental in the development of ‘Woodham Learning’, a cross-curricular year 7 programme, which develops students’ skills for learning.”
Sue attended a reception at the House of Commons this week in acknowledgement of her wonderful achievement.
