PADDINGTON ACADEMY SECURES TWO STANDOUT WINS AT NATIONAL BEST IN EVERYONE AWARDS

Paddington Academy is celebrating after Year 8 student Yusuf Ismail took home the Maths Award, and Dawn Williams was crowned Teaching Assistant of the Year at United Learning’s Best in Everyone Awards 2022.

Yusuf and Dawn were selected by the judging panel from a range of outstanding nominees from across the country. In honour of their respective wins, they were each presented with an engraved glass award.

In his nomination, Yusuf is described as an “outstanding student” with a “keen thirst for learning”. Yusuf is dedicated to improving his mathematical knowledge and ability, taking on independent learning tasks and even exploring some GCSE content. As an example, he consistently completes his homework alongside additional work on the online platform Sparx Maths. Alongside his academic talents, Yusuf is an “extremely polite and thoughtful student both to other students and to his teachers”.

Teaching Assistant of the Year Dawn has been an invaluable member of the school’s inclusion team over the past 15 years and “exemplifies the school ethos of excellence, hard work and integrity”. In her current role as Lead Teaching Assistant for the Social, Emotional and Mental Health department, Dawn has made a “transformational impact”, supporting young people across the school in reaching their full potential. Students consistently look to Dawn for her “wisdom, reassurance and motivation”.

Maria Demetriou, Assistant Principal for Inclusion, said of Dawn’s success: “I’m so glad that our nomination has gained Dawn this well-deserved award. Dawn has been absolutely relentless in her support of students at Paddington Academy, both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Whether it’s one-to-one key work, or reading interventions, Dawn always has time for her students.”

Peter Jones, Principal at Paddington Academy, said: “Congratulations to Yusuf and Dawn on their fantastic wins at this year’s Best in Everyone Awards. Both individuals are thoroughly deserving of their success which is a result of their tireless work and commitment. All of us at Paddington Academy are very proud of what they have achieved and delighted to have such ambitious and diligent role models within our school community.”

2022 marks the tenth year that the awards have been held and a return to an in-person ceremony following two years of virtual celebrations. Bespoke videos announcing the winners were also posted on United Learning’s Twitter account to coincide with the live event, giving over 10,000 peers, colleagues and family at home the opportunity to join in the celebrations.