A TEACHER from a Wrexham school is one of the best in the UK.
Maxine Pittaway, head of St Christopher’s School Wrexham, picked up the coveted Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Gold Plato award at a ceremony in London recently.
And she was back in the capital shortly afterwards to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a reception at 10 Downing Street marking the 11th anniversary of the awards.
Maxine was one of 12 teachers from across the UK to win the gold plato.
They were chosen by an influential judging panel, chaired by Baroness (Shirley) Williams.
Maxine, who lives in Shrewsbury, was recognised for her ingenuity at the helm of a special school whose enterprising spirit builds a future for vulnerable young people and connects with the community.
She has been head of St Christopher’s for 14 years and is still “fizzing” with ideas.
The school now has a charity shop, hair and beauty salon, a café and Fairtrade shop, plus a car-valeting business. All are open to the public and run by pupils.
As a result of her initiatives, the number of pupils gaining qualifications has increased during her headship, while the number of GCSE successes has quadrupled.
Maxine received her gold plato at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London at a ceremony hosted by TV stars Christine Bleakley and Jeremy Vine and which attracted almost 1.5 million viewers when it was shown on BBC 2.
On Monday afternoon she travelled to Cardiff for a Welsh Assembly reception before heading for Downing Street on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “You never forget a good teacher and the Teaching Awards recognises that important sentiment.
“The professionals I welcome to this event have had a major impact on their pupils and students and have inspired those in their schools to achieve.
“I congratulate them all for their creativity, their passion and their professionalism.”
Caroline Evans, Teaching Awards chief executive, said: “Our winners change children’s lives forever and, without them, schools would be very different places.
“They are terrific ambassadors for education who deserve recognition and who remind us to value all that is good in schools today.”
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