Sophie wins Early Years Foundation Stage Practitioner of the Year

The tenth annual Essex Teaching Awards took place on Wednesday 29 November 2023 and provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the outstanding educators and support staff working in primary, secondary, special, and early years settings across Essex.

And Sophie won the Early Years Foundation Stage Practitioner of the Year award.

Sophie's nomination reads as follows:

Sophie makes it impossible to have a bad day – intuitively knowing when to offer an uplifting comment, which can make the world of difference. She is open-minded and supportive, engaging with professionals and parents to support the needs of the child and family. Her love for child development, self-improvement and funny voices at story time are evident daily. I have never met a practitioner as dedicated, capable, and compassionate as Sophie. 

She has recently been part of a LA pilot to deliver the ‘Making it real’ family literacy programme which aims to support parents with their child’s communication and language development at home. She created resources for home visits, arranged library bus visits for the children and organised a family communication and language event. 

Sophie has also been quick to introduce family events to help parents socialise after Covid isolation, which has deeply impacted many of our users. She understands the value of community and works tirelessly to ensure that our local families are given time and space to feel supported.

Well done Sophie!