Students and staff are celebrating today’s announcement that languages teacher Kate Hytner has received a prestigious national teaching award.
Kate Hytner has been recognised with a Silver Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School in the Pearson National Teaching Awards and is now in the running for a coveted Gold Award.
Gold Award winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in London and on the BBC’s The One Show in November.
An outstanding classroom teacher, Kate Hytner has also been an inspirational subject leader for more than 25 years. Ridgeway’s languages department achieves the best progress results for French and Spanish in the region.
In addition, Kate spends time supporting community language entries such as Polish, Russian and Mandarin, all to GCSE grade 9.
Kate also leads Ridgeway’s instructional coaching programme, an innovative approach to professional development. In less than two years, Ridgeway has gained national recognition as a Steplab coaching hub, providing high-quality training to schools across the North of England.
Kate is also a senior examiner for GCSE Spanish.
Picture at top of page: Kate Hytner with Pearson Awards sponsor Paul Curran
Headteacher Mr Sterry said:
“Kate Hytner thoroughly deserves this Silver Award, and it is fitting that we are sharing the wonderful news on National Thank a Teacher Day, when we remember the incredible work that teachers and support staff do in schools every day to inspire young people.
“The Pearson National Teaching Awards have been described as the ‘Oscars’ of the teaching profession. This award reflects the remarkable impact that Kate has had on the lives of so many young people.
“Kate is motivated by the conviction that every student, no matter their background, can flourish by learning a language.
“She is an outstanding classroom practitioner, with the ability to create an inspirational learning environment through memorable lessons that ooze a passion for languages. That’s why students love being in her class.
“Kate understands the power of languages to open minds and broaden horizons. She has taken groups of Ridgeway students to Krakow and Auschwitz in Poland and last year co-led a party of 140 year 8 students to the First World War battlefield sites and memorials at Ypres in Belgium.
“Her role in implementing our instructional coaching programme is benefitting teachers not just here at Ridgeway but also in schools all across the region and beyond. She has literally put Ridgeway on the map as a national school of excellence for professional development.
“I am sure that I speak for the whole Ridgeway community – teachers, governors and students and their families – in saying congratulations and the best of luck to Kate as we look forward to the Gold Award announcement in November.”
