Birmingham headteacher honoured in UK celebration of teaching

Selected from thousands of nominations, Jason Bridges has been honoured as one of the Pearson National Teaching Silver Award winners across the country. 

The headteacher at Cockshut Hill School, part of the Summit Learning Trust, was honoured with a Silver Award in The Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School for their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children they work with every day. 

The school held a special assembly to celebrate Mr Bridges win with his family in attendance, along with members of the local community including Helen Walker, vice president of Technology at Pearson and Michelle Storer, director for Partnerships & MATs, from Hays as well as parents and the school’s Chair of Governors.

Mr Bridges has now been shortlisted to win one of Pearson’s Gold Awards; Gold winners will be announced in November and will be invited to appear on the BBC’s The One Show.

Jason Bridges became Principal of Cockshut Hill in 2016 – returning to a place with strong personal ties, as the school his own mother attended. Then, the school was just out of special measures, but Jason’s infectious determination to ensure Cockshut Hill lived up to its motto of #NothingButTheBest and exemplary leadership style heralded the start of a hugely positive journey – culminating in an Ofsted ‘Good’ just a year ago.     

Against the backdrop of community hardship through the pandemic and cost of living crisis, Jason has taken to heart Summit Learning Trust’s Base Camp initiative to meet learners’ basic needs and attends the free breakfast club each day. He is on the gate to meet learners every morning and enjoys an approachable relationship with them – with one learner commenting: “I know I can talk to him if I have a problem.” His aspirations for their success, regardless of background, never waiver.

As a local figure, his commitment extends to the community beyond the gates too, and he regularly engages with local residents to make sure the school is being a good neighbour – getting involved in litter picks and holding ‘surgeries’.  Nominated by his PA, Jason is a popular figure on the staff team who describe him as “the team leader [who] remains one of the team”. In summary, “He is the most caring boss but also a revolutionary who works endless hours putting his vision for Cockshut Hill into practice.”

The Silver Award winners are being honoured as part of the wider celebrations for ‘Thank a Teacher Day’, a national campaign to honour and recognise school staff for their incredible work.

 The Pearson National Teaching Awards were founded in 1998 by Lord Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational headteacher, like Mr Bridges, can have on the lives of the young people they work with.   

Another staff member from Cockshut Hill, Natalie Hagan, assistant principal for Teaching & Learning also received a Silver Award in the Digital Innovator category.  The award recognises those standout individuals who lead the way by using digital technologies creatively within their education communities to improve teaching and learning outcomes.  Natalie received the award due to her pioneering excellence in using IT to improve processes and procedures across the trust and for increasing wellbeing via the use of technology in the classroom.   

Vince Green, CEO of Summit Learning Trust said: “Congratulations to Jason Bridges and Natalie Hagan from everyone at Summit Learning Trust.  To achieve Silver Pearson Awards is a massive achievement and it just goes to prove what we already know; that Jason is a fantastic headteacher who goes above and beyond for his staff members and learners day in and day out and that Natalie has completed some brilliant, pioneering work as a Digital Innovator. 

“We will all keep our fingers crossed for the Gold Awards in November. For Cockshut Hill School to already have two Silver Award winners is very special indeed.”

Pictured: Natalie Hagan and Jason Bridges cutting cake with learners