This week the country will be encouraged to come together by a host of celebrity names in support of school and college staff for National Thank a Teacher Day. The annual campaign, led by The Teaching Awards Trust, calls on children and their families to thank the school and college staff at the heart of their communities.
Dame Helen Mirren, David Walliams, Dame Joanna Lumley, Edith Bowman, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Deborah Meaden, Emilia Fox, Rudolph Walker and Rob Biddulph are just a few of the big names calling on the country to come together on Thursday, May 26, and pay tribute to every member of staff who makes our schools so special. The celebrities have created their own personal ‘thank you’ to their teachers and are encouraging fans to support the campaign.
The celebrities will also be running competitions for students, with David Walliams judging his favourite piece of short writing, while Rob Biddulph will choose a winning piece of artwork. The campaign has also organised a series of activities for students to celebrate the day, including colouring, word searches, and group drawing activities.
Our schools are the beating heart of our communities, and nothing shows this more clearly than the Thank You messages being sent and gratefully received, from school staff going the extra mile to provide reassurance during uncertain times through to offering wider support to families who need it most.
To add to the day’s celebrations, 80 inspirational teachers, lecturers, teaching assistants and headteachers from across the country will also be honoured for winning coveted Pearson National Teaching Awards.
Following thousands of nominations from across the country, the Silver Award winners will be presented with their trophies in celebrations taking place in schools and colleges across the country. The winners are shortlisted to win prestigious one of 16 Gold Awards later in the year, on BBC’s The One Show, in a week-long celebration of education which sees famous faces honour award winners every night in the run up to the ceremony.
The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of excellence in education, 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 23rd year of celebrating our school staff across the UK.
Dame Helen Mirren said: "As someone who had an extraordinary teacher, I am very pleased to support the National Thank a Teacher Campaign. My own journey began with a great English teacher – Mrs Welding. She revealed to me the power of literature and recognised my need to live in that world of imagination and poetry. She alone was the person who encouraged me to be an actor. When I met her some years ago, I thanked her and she said: “I was just doing my job”
“Mrs Welding died in 2014 at the age of 102 and I will be forever grateful for her encouragement. I know many people have benefited from an inspirational teacher. Let’s thank those great teachers who inspire.”
Sir Michael Morpurgo, celebrated author and former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “For so many of us, it was someone at school who changed our lives, was at our side through hard and difficult times, who lifted us up when we were down, helped us find our voice, gave us confidence when we needed it most, and set us on a path that we have followed ever since.
“No matter who we are, school has touched our lives and played a central role in our childhoods. School is about so much more than learning, and we see that now more than ever before. Schools really are the beating heart of our communities. Every person that cares for our children in schools should be celebrated loud and clear on Thank A Teacher Day 2022.”
