Norham High School in North Tyneside is celebrating after their English department was recognised for their outstanding contribution to the lives of young people, winning them the ‘Excellence in English’ award at a ceremony in October.
The North Shields based school has made huge improvement in the last few years, making the leap from Special Measures to Good in March of 2022. As a consequence of its staff’s improvement efforts, Norham High School has welcomed rocketing results in recent years, too. Now, the staff in the English department have been recognised with a prestigious award, for their commitment to reading and the empowerment of the children they teach.
The Lord Glenamara Memorial Awards were hosted at St James’ Park in Newcastle on Thursday 6 October. The awards recognise groups and individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to Education across the region and are named after the former Headteacher turned Education Secretary, Edward Short.
The ‘Excellence in English’ award was granted to Norham High School following consultation between a panel of experts from Schools North East, The Department for Education, and Trinity College of Oxford University.
In presenting the award, Richard Petty from Oxford University said that the panel had been moved by the conviction of Norham High School’s staff to make a difference to the lives of young people in the communities of North Shields, and that the impact they were having with their reading initiatives could be transformative.
Speaking of the achievement, Terry Conway, Headteacher of Norham High School said, “Once again the school is celebrating the recognition of our determined and passionate staff. The English department are an asset to our school and their impact on our children has been immense.
“The children at Norham High School love their English lessons, and the relationships that have been fostered between pupils and their teachers is something truly special.”
David James, Assistant Headteacher for Curriculum added, “The English department are immensely proud to have received this award that rightly recognises their efforts and commitment to our young people.
“They deliver a curriculum that is broad, challenging and inspirational; they give the young people of this community a voice to be heard themselves and encourage them to take their place in the world when they move onto further education.”
Jessica Griffiths, Curriculum Leader for English said, “This is a brilliant day for our team. Receiving this award is a testament to the amazing teachers that I work with at Norham High School.
“We work very hard to make a difference within the communities we serve, and we know that confidence in reading and communication is the key to success for our pupils.”
Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn CBE, praised the high school, saying: “I am extremely proud of the English department at Norham High School for achieving such an estimable award.
Their achievement demonstrates the brilliant work that is going on to help ensure the successful futures of our young people in North Tyneside.”