PaJeS, together with the Jewish News, held its fourth Jewish Schools Awards on Monday 11th February where, once again, outstanding and inspiring teachers in Jewish schools across the UK were celebrated.
Winners and finalists
With over 180 people in attendance, the night was an opportunity to celebrate the excellence in teaching and the contributions of non-teaching staff. PaJeS received over 350 nominations this year, which were then narrowed down and judged by an expert panel.
The panel which was made up by Ms Kate Goldberg, Dr Michael Markiewicz, Mrs Naomi Greenwood and Mrs Leonie Lewis MBE really struggled to decide which of the worthy finalists should be crowned the winners.
Each award winner received £5,000 and each finalist received £1,000 to spend on a new project of their choice within the school. The awards proved again to be a wonderful opportunity to recognise teachers who often don’t get the credit they deserve and to celebrate their dedication and determination.
Winners and Finalists:
Promoting Excellence in Literacy in a Primary School
Juliette Green, Sinai Jewish Primary School - WINNER
Karen Dorman, North West London Jewish Day School
Ilana Hutchinson, Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School
Kate Manktelow, Rimon Jewish Primary School
Promoting Excellence in Literacy in a Secondary School
Anna Joseph, JFS - WINNER
Jayne Waxman, Yavneh College
Ben Wolfin, Immanuel College
Facilitating Student Responsibility in a Secondary School
Dina Jacobson, Yavneh College - WINNER
Indi Padda, JFS
Ana Rodriguez-Somoza, Kantor King Solomon High School
Chesed Initiatives in a Primary School
Ruth Finkel, North West London Jewish Day School - WINNER
Laura Fox, Eden Primary
Deborah Harris, Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School
Israel Education in a Primary School
Cath Davies, Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School - WINNER
Ivana Levy, Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School
Ada Mann, Sinai Jewish Primary School
Israel Education in a Secondary School
Rabbi Jonathan Goodman, King David High School, Manchester - WINNER
Rabbi Andrew Davis, Yavneh College
Sara Levan, JCoSS
Outstanding Practice in the Foundation Stage
Suzanne Singer, Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School - JOINT WINNER
Nicole Craig, Akiva School - JOINT WINNER
Charlotte Fogal, King David Primary School, Manchester
Sharon Wakefield, Hasmonean Primary School
Outstanding Arts Initiative in a Secondary School
Denise Sloane, JFS - WINNER
Fiona Bellinger, JFS
Sita Shah, JCoSS
Finalists
As well as the presentation of the awards, this year we took the opportunity to look back at one of the wonderful projects undertaken by PaJeS in 2018 – Israel70 - a celebration of Israel as she reached her 70th anniversary of Independence. To mark this auspicious occasion, 33 primary and secondary schools from 4 countries were offered a unique and very special way to celebrate and commemorate this milestone event through an extended collaborative project run and created by Nic Abery. The hugely successful project has engaged the largest number of Jewish pupils living in the UK to celebrate Israel’s many narratives. This exciting international programme has been the flagship schools’ celebration for Israel70 and culminated in two international celebrations and exhibitions throughout 2018 at JW3 in the UK, the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Israel and the Limmud Festival.
We were delighted to be able to present the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation with the Lifetime Achievement Award. We hope that this small gesture can go a little way in recognising the huge difference that the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation makes and highlights the exceptional impact that the late Maurice and Vivienne Wohl and the trustees of the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation have had on the Jewish schools community. We were very fortunate to have Professor David Latchman, nephew of the late Maurice Wohl and a trustee of the foundation, at the ceremony to accept the award on the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation’s behalf.