A LUNCHTIME supervisor from Bridgetown School in Stratford, whose generosity “shows no bounds”, has won a national teaching award.
Manjot Nahal was announced as the gold winner of the Award for Unsung Hero in the 2023 Pearson National Teaching Awards on BBC’s The One Show.
Manjit has been recognised for her unwavering commitment to her students and the wider school community in Stratford.
She was nominated and selected as the gold award winner from thousands of nominees based on her inspirational teaching, contributions to her school and community, and influence among colleagues, as assessed by judges.
And The One Show’s Alex Jones helped the children of Bridgetown School surprise their favourite lunchtime supervisor.
While Manjit was distracted by a tree planting that was taking place in her honour, Alex and the pupils decorated the school for her, like she had done many times for them. They then revealed that Manjit had won the Award for Unsung Hero.
Since 2014, Manjit has worn many hats at the school, including caretaker and part-time teaching assistant, but in each position she has shown immense thoughtfulness and initiative to build and maintain an amazing relationship with students.
From organising a lunchtime ‘Top Table’ that creates a fine dining experience to celebrate students’ achievements, to decorating teachers’ classrooms on their birthdays, Manjit’s generosity has shown to have no bounds.
During a week-long celebration honouring inspirational educators across the country, BBC’s The One Show announced seven of 16 gold award winners of the Pearson National Teaching Awards to shine a light on their amazing achievements.
An awards ceremony on Saturday (November 25), known as the ‘Oscars’ of the teaching profession was hosted by presenter and radio broadcaster Gaby Roslin.
Manjit said: “Nothing gives me greater pleasure than doing my job for all the children and the school itself and long may it contnue.”
The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration that honours the outstanding achievements of educators. It’s run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity now in its 25th year, and sponsored by Pearson, the world’s leading learning company.
These awards celebrate the transformative impact of education, shining a spotlight on the pivotal roles of teachers, support staff, colleges, schools and early years educators and the work they deliver every single day.
Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate, and president of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “We all know that a great teacher can enrich your life, can help you rise to the challenge, believe in yourself, find your own voice. I know that because it happened more than once to me. That’s why these Teaching Awards are so important and important to me.”
