STAFF at two Oldham academies took centre stage at an inaugural awards ceremony in London.
Over 500 nominations were received for E-ACT’s Staff Impact Awards and, at a celebration evening at Dulwich College, both E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy and E-ACT The Oldham Academy North were among the 11 winners.
The accolade for Secondary Headteacher of the Year went to The Oldham Academy North’s Jessica Giraud, who was honoured for her “inspirational leadership and compassion”.
Her nomination said that she “goes above and beyond to promote a positive, calm and supportive environment for students and staff” and that her presence is “a positive asset to the school environment”.
Jessica said the award was “a good moment for us all to celebrate what we’ve achieved”.
She added: “It’s lovely to personally receive this award and I feel very honoured but the success of our academy is really down to the whole team.
“I’m proud to lead a group of talented, dedicated teachers and support staff who work extremely hard to make sure that our students can benefit from an exceptional education.”
Meanwhile, E-ACT Royton and Crompton scooped the Leadership Team of the Year (Secondary) award for “being instrumental in driving significant improvements across the academy”.
These included attendance, behaviour, personal development, safeguarding, teaching, learning and the curriculum.
Gemma Cottingham said she has seen exactly why her leadership team deserves the award and recognition since becoming headteacher in June.
“Their tenacity and commitment to delivering excellence is outstanding, as displayed when they successfully managed two rigorous inspections within just four weeks,” she explained.
“We’re really lucky to have such a talented group of professionals at Royton and Crompton and I’m very proud to be working alongside them to deliver the best possible outcomes for our students and community.”
The E-ACT Staff Impact Awards celebrate the exceptional efforts of staff within E-ACT, a multi-academy trust which operates 29 academies and is responsible for the education of thousands of pupils across England.