Lucy Farrington – Inspiration in Education nominee
Lucy Farrington – Inspiration in Education nominee
A high school English teacher has been nominated for a Your Heroes Award by two of her former pupils.
Lucy Farrington has been teaching at Madeley School, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, for around nine years after graduating from Keele University in 2011.
The 37-year-old has been nominated in the Inspiration in Education category of the awards by pupils who recently completed their GCSEs at the school.
One former pupil said: “I was so incredibly lucky to have Mrs Farrington as my GCSE English teacher. Not only was she supportive with my struggles in reading and writing, but she gave me and my friends a safe place to be.
“School can be a very difficult time for so many and sometimes me and my friends found it very difficult. She provided so much support for me and my friends and she truly deserves recognition for all she’s done for us.”
A second pupil said: “She was mine and my friend’s English teacher for our two GCSE years and she was amazing. Not only did she teach according to what would help the class, but she offered support to us and a place of calm in her office when the anxiety of everything going on in our lives hit.
“She’s been nothing but supportive and amazing and truly deserves recognition for her amazing work as a teacher.”
For Lucy, the comments from her former pupils are particularly meaningful because her approach to teaching has been shaped by her own experiences at school.
“I struggled at school myself and I felt anxious a lot of the time, particularly when I was comparing myself to other people,” she said. “I remember how overwhelming and intense school could feel, and I think that has made me really want to be the teacher that I needed at that critical point in my education.”
Lucy believes that creating a safe and welcoming environment is just as important as the academic side of teaching.
“I have an open-door policy with my students. They are welcome to come into my classroom and sit during social time: I have group of students who sit my room regularly and have a chat about school or beyond. Sometimes they just need somewhere they feel comfortable and I’m happy to hold that space for them.
“I remember how stressful and intense the pressures of school can be, particularly during GCSEs, and I want to be a teacher who recognises when someone is struggling and can offer support or help direct them to where they can find it in a non-judgemental way.”
At Madeley, Lucy says, the belief that every student matters is something she tries to put into practice every day.
“Students need a balance of nurture, support and encouragement to help them cope with the rigorous demands of GCSEs. I aim to make sure that no student goes unnoticed or unsupported and that every achievement, academic or otherwise, is acknowledged as success might look different to us all.
“Of course, as a teacher, you want your students to achieve academically, but I think it’s equally important that they know they are valued individually and personally, and that there is somebody there who will listen when things are difficult.”
Lucy, from Stoke-on-Trent, said the nomination was completely unexpected and that she had never really considered herself someone who would be worthy of this kind of recognition.
She said: “It’s a complete surprise. It feels quite emotional that they’ve decided to do this off their own back. It’s really lovely.
“I never really imagined that I would be nominated for something like this, so to know that they felt strongly enough to put me forward is incredibly meaningful. I’m really grateful.”