Charley-Ann Barnes
Charley-Ann was nominated for the Turnbull-Halloran Prize by course tutor, Debbie Rigby, who outlines here why she felt Charley-Ann was the worthy winner, "Charley-Ann has been exceptional all the way through the course, she is conscientious, reliable, punctual, all the professional characteristics you would like in a student, teacher and colleague.
Her assignments have been exemplary and completed early. She goes above and beyond to help others with their job applications and personal statements and she gave a student experiencing placement difficulties a huge amount of support.
She is more often than not the spokesperson in uni sessions and keeps in touch with all of the group during placements to check in. Her mentors at both schools have said what an excellent student she has been and that she has taken on board everything everyone has said and become a real team player. She has also become a brilliant teacher. She has made an excellent contribution to the Student-Staff Committee."
On hearing she was the recipient of this award, Charley-Ann said: “I am overwhelmed with shock and gratitude upon receiving the Turnbull-Halloran prize; This recognition has left me feeling truly honoured and humbled. Throughout the duration of the course, I encountered numerous challenges that rigorously tested my resilience and determination. I firmly believe that I would not have made it through the year without the incredible support of my mentors and my fellow science PGDE cohort. Their encouragement and guidance were instrumental in my success.
Additionally, I cannot stress enough how phenomenal the support from the university has been. From the faculty to the resources provided, Sheffield has truly become my home, a place where I can rely on for growth and inspiration. These first few weeks as an ECT have been tough, but I’m ready to go again in September.”
Daniel Smith
Alison Grasmeder, Daniel's subject tutor, nominated him for the Turnbull-Halloran Prize, commenting,
"Daniel has been a collegial student, supporting and inspiring others, through his outward facing approach to learning. He has been an exemplary student in all respects. His assignments have been of a consistently high standard, and he has demonstrated his passion and knowledge for Geography and Education. He has been professional and respectful in all of his relationships and displayed initiative and insight."
On receiving his award, Daniel said, “Thanks to my Geography tutor Alison for her tireless hard work this year. I was honoured to be nominated for this award and I am very grateful to win it.
Alison and her colleagues have ensured that racial literacy is a critical part of the PGDE, something that I feel is particularly important for all Geography teachers to be aware of as we enter the profession. I am looking forward to applying these principles into my future teaching practice.
I was very fortunate to be placed in two schools where I was expertly guided by my tutors, Joe and Jen, thank you for sharing your expertise and time with me. All the school staff that I worked with and the other student teachers who were on placement with me were a great source of support and I gained valuable insights from them all.
Whilst Geography was a small group this year I felt that I could always rely on them if ever I needed a bit of moral support. Congratulations to all the cohort on completing the course, it has been a hard but rewarding year.
Wishing everyone all the best for their future careers. I am sure they will make fantastic teachers.”
