The dedicated service of Stroud teaching assistant Elaine Fernandez has been recognised with a national award.
Elaine, who works at St Rose’s Special School, received the SEN Higher Level Teaching Assistant of the Year Award, and was presented with a glass trophy, certificate and voucher at a ceremony in the school.
The awards are part of National Teaching Assistants’ Day, which was held last week in celebration of the work of Teaching Assistants (TAs) in primary, secondary and special schools across the country. The event is organised by education recruitment agency Teaching Personnel and has run annually since 2012.
Elaine was nominated for the award by colleagues, who described her as having a special relationship with students, parents and staff.
They said: “Some students who struggle to regulate will go and spend time with Elaine and she helps them settle and be ready to work again.
“She is a tower of strength to the whole school and her 40 years of experience means she is the person everyone goes to for everything, from paperclips to emotional support.”
Teaching Personnel received hundreds of nominations from schools across the country for seven awards categories.
Caroline Cheale, Managing Director of Teaching Personnel, said: “There are almost a quarter of a million TAs working in England’s schools, going the extra mile day in and day out, but their value is often underestimated. That’s why we run the National Teaching Assistants Day every year to recognise and celebrate wonderful individuals like Elaine who make such a difference to children’s lives.”
