Outstanding PSHE/Citizenship Teacher Award 2014
Outstanding PSHE/Citizenship Teacher Award 2014
Nicky Sutton
St Francis C of E Primary School, Cornwall
Nominated by: Steph Sowell
In January 2012, St Francis C of E Primary School lost one of its pupils to a rare form of cancer. Chloe was 8 years old when she sadly passed away and as the school community was grieving, Nicky Sutton began an innovative project in order to give the school community, and particularly Chloe’s closest classmates, something positive to focus on.
Helping the children to channel their grief and work through their bereavement, she began a committee called ‘Pirate Ship for a Princess’ and opened up committee positions to the children from Chloe’s class. They had to apply to be on the committee through a formal letter and five children were chosen with the rest of the class’s ideas included through discussion and the ‘voice of the committee’.
Nicky went on to recruit other members of the school community to work alongside the children with the idea that, within a year, a pirate ship memorial could be built in her memory on the school grounds. This was an innovative project as the children were not only working through their grief, they were also learning about being part of a committee, fundraising, communication skills and actively participating alongside others.
As well as her being the school’s PSHE Coordinator, Expressive Arts teacher and RE and MFL Coordinator; Nicky has also undertaken level 1 and 2 childhood loss and grief training in her own time with voluntary bereavement services. During her time at St Francis, she has set up a bereavement support system, using her skills, which means she sees children on a daily/weekly basis.
Nicky has used her life experiences prior to her formal teaching role in her fundraising efforts. For 10 years in Falmouth, prior to becoming a teacher, she ran a local drama group for children between the ages of 7-18 to take part in musical productions.
The pirate ship memorial itself is a legacy not only to Chloe, but will remain there for a very long time to act as a reminder to the other children in school about what working as a team and a community can achieve. For Nicky’s role in the success of this project, we are proud to crown her the winner of the Outstanding PSHE/Citizenship Award!
