The headteacher of the school of the year has paid respect to a late staff member.

At the 2019 Worcestershire Education Awards, The Bewdley School was named Secondary School of the Year and with the awards returning in 2022 headteacher Dave Hadley-Pryce has his eyes on the prize.

In what has been an unusual and difficult year for all in the education sector, Mr Hadley-Pryce is proud of how his staff came together.

Unfortunately, the school recently suffered the loss of a member of staff, Patrick Cannon, who caught Covid in early October.

He said: “If I was asked personally, I would nominate Patrick Cannon posthumously, as Patrick was our lovely technology technician, who continued to come into school to support students, despite being clinically vulnerable.

“Tragically, Patrick contracted COVID in early October and passed away over half-term.”

On how his school handled the pandemic he added: “It has been extremely challenging. We have only survived by being a very tightly knit and mutually supportive community.

“We have great staff who go the extra mile for our students, so for example, we started teaching online on the first day of lockdown in March 2020.

“Our staff have continued in this way, being incredibly supportive of our students and using their creativity and imagination to ensure that students were supported as well as they possibly could be, given the circumstances.”

In one of the most competitive categories, Mr Hadley-Pryce was delighted to come out on top in 2019.

He said: “It was humbling to have these values recognised and celebrated amongst our local community of schools.

“We are a school with great teaching and support staff and a very compact leadership team.

“We are driven by the belief that only in providing our students with a truly individualised learning experience, with the richness and breadth to appeal to all, will our students truly learn to express themselves and discover their place in the world.”

This year’s Education Awards are being run in partnership with the University of Worcester and the closing date for nominations is midday on Friday, December 17.

Click here for details on how to nominate a teacher, school or pupil you think is deserving.

If you are or your business or organisation is interested in sponsoring an award please contact dale.godliman@newsquest.co.uk