Tenbury High Ormiston Academy teacher up for prestigious education award

Hayleigh joined the school, part of Ormiston Academies Trust, in 2023 during her first year of teaching, and has already been recognised for her significant achievements in the classroom. 

She is up for the New Teacher category in the awards, which celebrates the excellent work taking place in education establishments across the country. 

Having only qualified as a teacher two years ago, Hayleigh has been applauded for her leading work in developing the school’s Religion, Philosophy and Ethics curriculum, teaching Tenbury Wells’ young people the values of respect, tolerance, cultural capital, and diversity. Her work has now been recognised by the Worcestershire Education Awards for the amazing impact it has had for students in the school. 

In addition to the RPE curriculum, Hayleigh has gone above and beyond to create exciting learning opportunities for her students. This includes leading the First Give project for Year 9 students, a charity research initiative which encourages students to make links with the local community and host various charity events to raise money for their chosen charity, with the winning group contributing £1,000 to a local charity. The project has helped students build crucial life skills including teamwork, decision-making and organisational skills, helping them to become responsible young citizens. 

She has also been praised for her enthusiastic work outside of lessons, including organising activities such as an Irish Dancing club for pupils, a Christmas classroom door decorating competition and founding Cake Thursday, an initiative which encourages colleagues to come together once a week to support wellbeing and happiness in the workplace. 

The Worcestershire Education Awards winners will be announced at a black tie dinner on Thursday, April 3, at the Bank House Hotel, Worcester.

Vicki Dean, Principal at Tenbury High Ormiston Academy, said: “We are so incredibly proud of Hayleigh and all that she has achieved – she truly deserves this recognition. She is an brilliant teacher, colleague, and friend across the school, and has achieved so much as an Early Career Teacher. 

“At Tenbury High, one of our curriculum ambitions is to ensure our pupils understand the world around them whilst remaining proud of our rural roots, so they can be confident in navigating and succeeding in the world and their futures. The work that Hayleigh has done to embed this into our Religion, Philosophy and Ethics curriculum is amazing and has had huge benefits for our students.  

“The whole Tenbury High community is behind Hayleigh, looking forward to the chance of a well-deserved win!”