Oxford honours Priestley teacher

A TEACHER from Priestley College has been rewarded by one of the world’s finest universities for raising the aspirations of young people in and around Warrington.

Anne White was one of only five teachers in the UK to collect the ‘Inspirational Teacher Award’ from Pembroke College at the University of Oxford.
“I think this is just representative of the work that goes on by the team across Priestley College to ensure all our students have high aspirations and secure the best futures possible,” said Anne.

Pembroke’s awards were designed to celebrate teachers who have helped state-educated students ‘realise they had the potential to achieve more’.
They asked their students to nominate someone who had ‘ignited their desire to study a particular subject.’
Anne’s nomination came from Madgey Thompson who left Priestley College two years ago to study French and Arabic at Oxford after collecting A*s in A-Level Psychology, English Literature and French as well as an A in her Extended Project.

In her submission she credited Anne with completely changing her academic prospects. She wrote: “I was at a sixth form where Oxbridge was not on the cards, but I wanted to achieve better, and Anne was the teacher that gave me the support I needed.
“Anne gave me feedback on my essays from my previous school and made me realise I had the potential to achieve more. I was so grateful for her support as I had never received any encouragement previously that even hinted at the possibility of Oxford.”

Every year hundreds of Priestley students progress into Higher Education – many heading to Russell Group universities, which are considered some of the finest in the UK.
Pembroke College’s Academic Director, Nancy Braithwaite, congratulated Anne and the other winners and said: “It’s really inspiring to hear about the amazing work teachers from across the country are doing to inspire and motivate their pupils to love their subjects, and pursue their intellectual passions at Oxford.
“We are very grateful for the work they do, and to countless other teachers in Britain’s state schools and colleges, who make a difference every day.”