Shrewsbury teaching assistant reaches national awards final

Shrewsbury teaching assistant Jamie Hagan will represent the West Midlands at the 2019 Outstanding Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) of the Year award.

Jamie, who works at The Martin Wilson School and Early Years Centre in New Park Road, Shrewbury, was declared the winner of the West Midlands region and is now looking forward to the national awards ceremony in Westminster next month, when she and eight other regional winners will find out who will be declared HLTA of the Year 2019. 

The award recognises the skill and commitment of HLTAs – highly experienced teaching assistants who carry out a wide variety of important roles in schools, including supporting teachers in the planning and delivery of lessons and developing learning resources.

Jamie was judged West Midlands region winner by Best Practice Network, the regional assessment provider for the HLTA programme in the Eastern, South West and West Midlands regions. She was nominated for the award by her colleagues.

Christina Cubbin, Deputy Headteacher at The Martin Wilson School and Early Years Centre, said: “In her time with us Jamie has gone from a volunteer to a first rate HLTA, who is a real role model to her colleagues. Anything asked of her is done to the highest possible standard. At the heart of this is her permanently positive attitude for the school and towards the pupils. She takes time to get to know the pupils individually and they make good progress with her, both academically and emotionally. Because of the extremely positive relationships she forms with them, she works particularly well with our more challenging children, who like her, trust her and want to work with her.”

Dean Boyce, Director of CPD and Accreditation at Best Practice Network, said: “The award is aimed at teaching assistants who have gained HLTA status and who go above and beyond to demonstrate the vital role which HLTAs play within schools.

“Jamie had to meet a range of exacting criteria set by the judging panel, including demonstrating high aspirations for each pupil, a firm belief in pupils' abilities and a strong commitment to pupils' progress, as well as a continuing commitment to her own professional learning and development. The award recognises the extremely valuable role HLTAs like Jamie play in children’s learning and is very well deserved.”

The award, now in its sixth year, is organised by the HNAP (HLTA National Assessment Partnership), an organisation made up of four regional assessment providers that manage and quality assure the assessment of standards for HLTAs across England.