Caring Cumbrian primary school teacher nominated for top award
A Cumbria Primary school teacher has been nominated for Collection Pot's Teacher of the Year competition.
Stephanie Day who teaches at Warwick Bridge Primary School, was nominated by her Year 6 pupil Dana Fawkes and Dana's mother, Anna Murray.
The nomination highlights both her strong commitment to her students and the personal challenges she's faced during her IVF journey.
Despite the physical and emotional strain of fertility treatment, she has continued to give her best to her class every day, staying dedicated to her role as a teacher.
'This year has been a tough one for her,' Dana shared in her nomination, 'but she always puts us first and works super hard and made sure each of us was ready for our SATs. I really hope she wins and gets recognised for her awesomeness and dedication to her job.'
Dana's mum, Anna, also spoke about her impact, describing her as a teacher who has managed to do her job extremely well while dealing with difficult personal challenges.
'Miss Day's day kicks off with a drive to school that takes her about an hour and fifteen minutes. This year marks her first experience teaching a year 6 class. Along with her new year 6 class, she's also diving into her first year of preparing the kids for SATs.' Anna said. 'She ensured that every child had the necessary interventions set up for the teaching assistants to help them in areas where they needed extra support. Plus, she organised a weekly SATs club to further assist the children in getting ready for the tests.'
Anna explained that sadly over the Easter Holiday's Miss Day lost her beloved Nana.
'The beginning of the Easter holidays brought heartbreak for Miss Day as she lost her cherished Nana, with whom she was very close. Despite her grief, she kept the children in mind, reaching out to all the parents with a personalised list of tasks for their kids to focus on.'
Upon hearing that she had been nominated, Miss Day said: 'I was so surprised to find out I had been nominated for the award and I am absolutely thrilled. Even though I have been having a really tough year, it is the wonderful children in my class who have kept me going and kept me smiling, even when I really haven't felt like it. Doing all I can for my class has been a welcome distraction this year and I pride myself on doing all I can to support every pupil.'
Anna and Dana are hopeful that Miss Day will win the competition.
'Winning would be a wonderful way to show how much she is valued and loved by everyone.'
Collection Pot's Teacher of the Year competition 2025 aims to celebrate the exceptional dedication of teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, and headteachers in schools across the nation.
Nominations are open until June 22nd, and the winner will be announced on July 4th.
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