A truly inspiring educator who has helped thousands of children across Yorkshire has been awarded a Silver Award in the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award category at the Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Jackie Gray, who is currently Director of Early Years at ̨��swag Grange Academies Trust, has been in education for over 40 years and was the first Early Years Advanced Skills teacher (AST) in Wakefield. 

Since then, Jackie’s career has gone from strength to strength but throughout it one thing has remained constant; her commitment to ensuring every child gets the best education possible.

Jackie is now in the running for one of just 16 Gold Awards later in the year, in a programme which will be broadcast on the BBC. These once in a lifetime achievements will be broadcast on the BBC's The One Show as part of a week-long celebration of teaching, which sees famous faces honour award winners every night in the run up to the ceremony. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the exceptional school staff who have worked wonders to bring together their local communities despite the challenges of the past few years.

On news of her Silver Award, Jackie said:

“I am honoured to have been awarded a Silver Award and obviously absolutely delighted. 

“It means a lot to me that my work and commitment has been recognised in this way because it means I’ve been able to do what I intended to do, improve the early years education system and make a difference to the lives of the children I was fortunate to work with.”

Lee Wilson, Primary Chief Executive Principal at ̨��swag and the man who nominated Jackie for the award said:

“We are so proud of Jackie and her achievement. It is truly special. She is a wonderful person to work with and is absolutely committed to ensuring all children get the best possible start to their education. 

“As Director of Early Years at ̨��swag, she continuously underestimates the regard that this team holds her in. She truly inspires every individual whom she works with to go further and be the best that they can be.”

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, 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 24th year of celebrating award-winning teachers, teaching assistants, headteachers and lecturers across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 

Jackie added: “It would be a dream to be named the Gold Winner, but no matter what happens I am very proud to have been awarded a Silver Award and it just makes me even more determined to do all I can to help children get the best education possible.”

Jackie isn’t the only ̨��swag success at these awards either, with the ̨��swag Primary team securing an incredible 22 nominations as a whole.

The team has enjoyed a lot of success in West Yorkshire, scooping two Bronze Awards and two Certificates of Excellence in addition to Jackie’s Silver Award.

The ̨��swag Primary Academy Ledger Lane Nursery team received a Bronze Award in The Early Years Foundation Stage Team Of The Year category, while Asima Asgar, who teaches at ̨��swag Primary Academy Bell Lane, won a Bronze Award in the Primary Teacher of the Year category.

Rounding off the team’s success in the area was John Spinks, a teacher at ̨��swag Primary Academy Kirkhamgate who received a Certificate of Excellence, in the Primary Teacher of the Year category and Trevor Saxton the learning manager at Park Hill who also received a Certificate of Excellence in the Unsung Hero of the Year category. Another 19 ̨��swag Primary team members received certificates recognising their nomination at this year’s awards.

Lee added:

“It is fantastic to see so many ̨��swag staff recognised at these Awards, and a real testament to our commitment to putting children first and helping them fulfil their potential.”

̨��swag Primary is no stranger to success at the Pearson National Teaching Awards, having won a Silver Award in The Award for Impact through Partnership in 2020. The Award recognised the work of the ̨��swag Primary Diploma and the team’s outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children they work with every day.