Redbridge Education Awards

Wanstead Golf Club hosted the first ever Redbridge Education Awards on Thursday 27 April, celebrating the amazing work of staff in our nurseries and schools across Redbridge. The ceremony was hosted by local celebrity, Eddie Nestor, and entertainment was provided by Wanstead High School and New City College students.

Over 350 nominations were received from parents, students, colleagues and friends from across Redbridge for over 240 members of staff. We are so grateful for everyone who took the time to nominate staff and everyone’s nominations were shared with the relevant individual so they could hear directly how special they are.

Our shortlisting panel chose three people for each of the thirteen categories and the winners were chosen by an independent panel comprising of Councillor Mark Santos, our lead member for Children and Families, retired deputy head, Caz Langbridge and youth MP, Ann-Marie Jaxen.

One the evening, the winners of the inaugural Redbridge Education Awards 2023 were announced and they were…

• Early Years Setting Leadership – Louiza Meksem, Sunflower Nurseries
• Employee of the Year, Alternative Provision or Special School – Karen Bedford, Hatton School
• Employee of the Year, Early Years Setting – Gianni Phipps, Sunflower Nurseries
• Employee of the Year, Primary School – Stacey Dunnage, Mossford Green Primary School
• Employee of the Year, Secondary School – Mark Leeming, Seven Kings Secondary School
• Teacher of the Year, Alternative Provision or Special School – Anita Daruvala, Little Heath School
• Teacher of the Year, Primary School – Nicholas Trutwein, Fairlop Primary School
• Teacher of the Year, Secondary School – Ian Sweet, Wanstead High School
• Inclusivity Award – Millie Cornwell and Glen Hall, Manford Primary School
• Champion for Change – Faheem Khan, Woodbridge High School
• Vision Award for arts, culture and sports – Melissa Mayer, Fairlop Primary School
• School Leadership Award – Adrienne Wright, Hatton School
• Lifetime Contribution Award – Duncan Paterson, Seven Kings

Congratulations to all the winners as well as to everyone nominated and shortlisted for an award.

We are extremely grateful to our sponsors of the awards ceremony – Parker Smith Inclusion, the Longley Group, New City College, Vision and Queen Mary University of London. The evening would not have been possible without them. We will be reopening nominations in the autumn for next year’s awards ceremony.

Please visit our Redbridge Education blog to see photos from the ceremony.