DET Dispatch

Dear Colleague,

Celebrating Our 2025 Making The Difference Award Winners

We’re delighted to share the winners of this year’s Making The Difference awards, a celebration of the remarkable contributions made by colleagues across our trust.

These awards are particularly special because they come from within our own community. Every winner has been nominated by their peers, colleagues who have recognised their dedication, talent, and the positive impact they make every day.

Earlier this month our winners were invited to a special lunch, a chance to step away from the timetable, connect with others from across the Trust, and share the inspiring stories behind their nominations. It was a celebration not just of individual achievements, but of the collective spirit that defines our trust.

We are proud to honour the dedication of our award winners and thank them for the difference they make to both colleagues and learners. Their efforts truly reflect the values at the heart of our trust, and their commitment continues to help us grow, thrive, and inspire.

Congratulations to all our 2025 winners!

With best wishes,

Josephine Valentine, CEO
Danes Educational Trust

Making the difference together

Abby Gerry
Support staff award winner

Abby is an exceptional learning support practitioner who consistently goes above and beyond in her role. She is deeply committed to meeting the individual needs of every child in her care, ensuring they feel supported, valued, and included. Abby’s caring nature shines through in all she does, creating a safe and nurturing environment where children thrive both academically and emotionally. Her strong work ethic, reliability, and dedication make her a vital part of the team. Abby is proactive, thoughtful, and always willing to do more to help her pupils succeed, making a meaningful impact on their learning and development every day.

Vanesa Verna
Teaching staff award winner

Vanesa has brought incredible passion and dedication to her role as inclusion lead, playing a key part in transforming the school’s approach to inclusion. Through her hard work and commitment, she has created an environment where all children feel supported, happy, and are thriving. Parents have someone they trust and can work closely with, feeling reassured that their children’s needs are being met. Vanesa has also built strong, effective relationships with a range of outside providers, leading to meaningful partnerships that benefit both the school and its pupils. Her impact has been truly transformative for the entire school community.

Justine House
Support staff award winner

Justine consistently delivers excellent work as the HR co-ordinator, combining exceptional attention to detail with a warm, personal approach. She goes above and beyond to support staff - always making time to listen, offer thoughtful advice, and resolve queries with care and professionalism. Despite a demanding workload, Justine embodies the spirit of ‘making a difference together’. Her dedication and positive impact make her an invaluable asset to both the school and the Trust.

Zehra Byrne
Teaching staff award winner

Zehra demonstrates exceptional professionalism, dedication, and care. As head of year and teacher of mathematics, she is resilient, collaborative, and consistently goes above and beyond to support both students and colleagues. Her passion for maths shines through in every lesson, making learning engaging and meaningful. Driven by a strong moral purpose, she nurtures each student’s potential and understands the transformative power of education. Zehra has quickly become an integral part of our community, embodying excellence in both teaching and pastoral care.

Hilary Garrad
Support staff award winner

Hilary is an integral part of our reception team at The Cranbourne. She always goes above and beyond her everyday role. She is incredibly supportive to all children, going out of her way to give extra attention and care to those that need it. She is also very supportive to all staff who work with her. Hilary is so dedicated to her job and we are very lucky to have her as part of our team!

Emma Wilkinson
Support staff award winner

A whole essay couldn’t do justice to how highly Emma is regarded by The Cranbourne team. She works tirelessly for both children and staff, always going above and beyond. Her ability to make children believe in themselves is second to none. A bold and creative leader, Emma has an uncanny talent for solving problems before they even arise. She has dedicated her life to serving others, and as she now moves on, education's loss is very much the church's gain.

Lisa Carter
Support staff award winner

Lisa has been a key and founding member of the Croxley Danes community since the school first opened. She consistently goes above and beyond to support students, regularly exceeding the expectations of her role. Known for her compassion and caring nature, Lisa always makes time for those in need, even if it means staying late or coming in during the holidays to complete other tasks. Her remit is extensive, yet she never complains and always gets the job done on time, and with a smile.

Thank you for everything you do Lisa, your contribution means so much.

Flora Richards
Teaching staff award winner

Flora has worked tirelessly to promote equalities across the school. She has been instrumental in driving the agenda to make Croxley Danes an inclusive and welcoming place, work that has led to inclusion being recognised as a key strength of the school. Flora consistently shows deep empathy towards both students and colleagues, all while upholding the school's values and key priorities.

Croxley Danes is undoubtedly richer for all that Flora has contributed, and we are immensely grateful for her dedication and passion.

Tracey Moss
Support staff award winner

Tracey has been a learning practitioner at our current site for over 20 years and played a key role during the school’s amalgamation and rebranding as De Havilland School in September 2004. She carries out her role with minimal fuss, always receptive to advice and consistently following school policy and practice across all areas of school life. Tracey raises any concerns in an assertive yet calm manner and is always willing to take action or collaborate with others to find solutions. Her professionalism and the way she approaches her role truly deserve recognition — not to mention her wicked sense of humour, especially when it comes to her cats!

Chris Tate
Teaching staff award winner

Chris has worked at De Havilland for the last 20 years. His calm, caring nature alongside his attention to detail instills good learning behaviours to those he teaches. Not only is he a valued member of the teaching team, he regularly goes 'above and beyond' to ensure the school grounds are maintained to a high standard, regularly coming in over the weekend. I believe he once referred to it as 'therapy'! He also stepped in to lead PE earlier this year when our well-renowned sports coach relocated to Manchester. We are so grateful to have him in our team!.

Pippa Walden
Support staff award winner

Pippa has shown passion and tenacity in leading ESA Reads, our whole-academy approach to fostering a love of reading. She has created an inspiring, efficient library and leads the Reading Plus programme, directly supporting our lowest-attaining readers to build skills and confidence. This year, one of her students was nationally recognised for exceptional progress. Her impact was also praised by Ofsted, contributing to an outstanding judgement: “Pupils now benefit from a well-stocked library... When pupils need additional help to read well, they receive effective support.” Thank you, Pippa, for championing reading and raising cultural capital across the academy.

Beth Hughes
Support staff award winner

Beth is a highly committed head of year who radiates positivity. This year, she supported Year 11 in building resilience and confidence as they prepared for their GCSEs. She also produced yet another incredible dance showcase and continues to champion creative, performance, and community arts. In addition, Beth contributes to the leadership and governance of ESA as a dedicated staff governor. Her passion for community outreach shines through in her leadership of ESA’s next ArtsMark project. Beth’s dedication to the arts is tireless, and her impact across the academy is both inspiring and far-reaching.

Carol McGrath
Support staff award winner

Carol was nominated by several colleagues, all of whom recognised her outstanding dedication to a very demanding role. She frequently goes above and beyond to support both students and staff during formal and informal assessments. Colleagues both new and experienced consistently comment on how approachable and supportive she is, especially regarding wider school routines and issues. She was even praised for her impressive step count, which surely sets records during exam season! Carol is a hugely deserving winner of this award and an absolute credit to The John Warner School.

Nadine Brenton
Teaching staff award winner

Croxley Danes is undoubtedly richer for all that Flora has contributed, and we are immensely grateful for her dedication and passion.

Tammie Bolton
Support staff award winner

Since stepping into the role of Year 3 class teacher in January, Tammie has transformed a challenging cohort with positivity, resilience, and dedication. Despite the class’s complex needs, she has built strong, respectful relationships and created a nurturing environment where every child feels valued and included. Her professionalism, innovative teaching, and refusal to let any child be labelled have had a lasting impact. Tammie consistently goes above and beyond her HLTA role, inspiring both pupils and colleagues. Her unwavering commitment to the children and the wider school community is truly exceptional.

Allison Hewitt
Teaching staff award winner

As a long-standing and valued member of Jupiter, Alii has progressed from LSP to HLTA to fully qualified teacher all while raising a young family and completing her degree. Now at the end of her ECT journey, she has led our Year 5 class with calm, positivity, and unwavering dedication. Her classroom is built on trust, high expectations, and compassion. Beyond teaching, Alii leads the LVC, organises school-wide events, and consistently supports both pupils and colleagues. Her resilience, selflessness, and tireless commitment make her an irreplaceable asset to our school.

Teresa Hendry
Support staff award winner

Teresa has made an extraordinary impact since joining Lanchester this year, transforming our Butterfly provision into a cohesive and nurturing space for pupils facing significant challenges. With her calm presence and confident guidance, she offers unwavering support to children with complex needs, helping them feel secure, valued, and capable of success. Her blend of expertise and natural leadership has created an environment where progress is not only possible but celebrated. Teresa’s kind, compassionate approach and steadfast commitment to every child’s well being make her an outstanding practitioner and a truly deserving recipient of this award.

Amy Hayes
Support staff award winner

Amy is an exceptional educator whose dedication shines across every aspect of school life. She has significantly enhanced phonics provision and enriched the curriculum with creative, engaging content. Her leadership in coordinating whole school RE events has brought depth and inclusivity to pupils' spiritual development. Amy's support for school-wide initiatives, from transforming playgrounds and curating library displays to welcoming prospective families demonstrates her unwavering commitment. Most notably, Amy fosters a nurturing, inclusive learning environment where SEN children thrive, ensuring every child feels valued and supported. Her impact is far-reaching, making her a truly deserving recipient of this award.

Kathryn Malone
Support staff award winner

Kathryn has been nominated by colleagues for her hard work, dedication, and unwavering support. She completes her work seamlessly and to a high standard, always ready to help others solve problems and find solutions. Kathryn is described as “doing the ordinary in an extraordinary manner.” She is assertive without being demanding, clear without being sharp, and funny without being silly. You can always trust that she knows the right thing and does it. An absolute asset to OSA, she’s affectionately known as a “work mum” to some and truly a golden nugget of the school.

Amy Ring
Teaching staff award winner

Amy has been nominated by colleagues for her strong ambition and clear vision for improvements in teaching and learning at our school. She is an excellent support to staff. This term, she has shaped the school's direction positively through the newly-formed Teaching and Learning Group. Amy goes above and beyond for all student teachers. Colleagues recognise her passion for her subject and desire to help her students achieve their very best. She is a true motivator of staff and students.

Stacey Wyman
Support staff award winner

Stacey has been a dedicated member of the Roselands team for many years, consistently demonstrating unwavering kindness, boundless creativity, and a strong work ethic. Her artistic talent shines throughout the school, so much so that Ofsted praised the “vibrant displays in classrooms and around the school.” Her attention to detail is evident in everything she does: from creating displays and preparing work to supporting pupils, and making the best cup of tea ever! Whether supporting pupils or colleagues, Stacey’s thoughtfulness, humour, and tireless commitment make a real and lasting difference to our school community.

Julie Buzzing
Teaching staff award winner

Julie always goes above and beyond to provide children with an enriched, inspiring curriculum and a learning environment that enables them to reach their full potential. She is proactive and always willing to step in to support her team whenever needed. Julie takes the time to build strong, positive relationships with both children and parents, she truly knows her pupils inside out. As a teacher, she inspires children to explore, enjoy learning, and push themselves further. Her passion and commitment make a lasting impact on everyone she works with.

Laura Warrick
Support staff award winner

Laura provides the most supportive and enjoyable environment for all our students in the Learning Resource Centre. She is kind, accommodating, hardworking, thoughtful, creative and knowledgeable in her relationships with staff and students. The LRC is a hub of engaging and vibrant activities because of Laura's energy and support for both individual students and their clubs. Her influence spreads outside of the LRC into fantastic displays and competitions, and no request for help with finding resources for a subject area is too difficult for her, she simply embraces the challenge! We are immensely grateful that Laura works at this school.

Jennifer Harrison
Teaching staff award winner

Jennifer is an exceptional individual whose selflessness shines through in all she does. Her unwavering dedication to students is truly inspiring, she consistently puts their needs first and goes above and beyond as both teacher and form tutor. It's no surprise she's often named 'Teacher of the Year' by Sixth Form students. Jennifer connects with every student, making each one feel seen, supported, and valued. Her creative ideas enhance learning daily. A passionate advocate for reading, she creates countless opportunities to engage students with literature, promoting both academic progress and emotional wellbeing. She is a truly outstanding educator.

Tom Cheeseman
Central Services award winner

Tom is a truly exceptional colleague; kind, funny, and endlessly supportive. His technical expertise, creativity, and innovative thinking have been invaluable across central services, particularly in bringing ambitious marketing ideas to life. Always focused on solutions, Tom shares new tools, develops better ways of working, and is never too busy to help. From crafting trophies at home to volunteering at our events, his contributions are countless. He embodies the Trust’s values with quiet dedication, making a difference to every team he touches. Quite simply, we couldn’t do our jobs without him. A true legend and an irreplaceable part of the Trust family.

Jane Carson
Special thanks

After nearly five decades of dedicated service, including over 30 years as Headteacher, Jane leaves an indelible legacy at Roselands Primary School. From starting as an NQT in 1977 to guiding the school through expansion, academisation, and a successful Ofsted, her unwavering commitment, warmth and vision have shaped generations of children, staff, and the wider community. Her passion for education, music, and enrichment is woven into the fabric of the school. A true pillar of the Hoddesdon community, she embodies the very best of school leadership. It has been an honour to witness her extraordinary impact.

Abby GerrySupport staff award winner

Vanesa VernaTeaching staff award winner

Justine HouseSupport staff award winner

Zehra ByrneTeaching staff award winner

Hilary GarradSupport staff award winner

Emma WilkinsonSupport staff award winner

Lisa CarterSupport staff award winner

Flora RichardsTeaching staff award winner

Tracey MossSupport staff award winner

Chris TateTeaching staff award winner

Pippa WaldenSupport staff award winner

Beth HughesSupport staff award winner

Carol McGrathSupport staff award winner

Nadine BrentonTeaching staff award winner

Tammie BoltonSupport staff award winner

Allison HewittTeaching staff award winner

Teresa HendrySupport staff award winner

Amy HayesSupport staff award winner

Kathryn MaloneSupport staff award winner

Amy RingTeaching staff award winner

Stacey WymanSupport staff award winner

Julie BuzzingTeaching staff award winner

Laura WarrickSupport staff award winner

Jennifer HarrisonTeaching staff award winner

Tom CheesemanCentral Services award winner

Jane CarsonSpecial thanks