THE head who steered a Plymouth primary school through the

aftermath of a freak gas explosion which killed one of its

pupils has been honoured at the South West Teacher of the Year

awards.

Mark Lees, head of Southway Primary School, was one of five

award-winners from in and around Plymouth in the profession’s

equivalent of the Oscars.

Judges awarded him the prize for headteacher of the year in

a primary school in the regional finals held in the Riviera

Centre in Torquay.

He won the Plato, the glass trophy, partly for the way he

handled the death of nine-year-old Stephanie Hammacott.

Mr Lees said: “Stephanie was in my thoughts at that moment

the awards were announced, as she has been continually since

January 8. But then again all the children have been in my

thoughts. They are great kids.”

Steve Baker, principal at Lipson Community College, was also

honoured as headteacher of the year in a secondary school just

two weeks after the school was told to improve its exam results

or face possible closure by the Government.

Judges said in their citation for Mr Lees: “Nobody could

have prepared him, or his staff and pupils, for the sudden

death of a pupil, who was killed in a gas explosion on her way

to school earlier this year.

“Through these difficult times, Mark has led the school with

commitment, sensitivity and compassion.”

He was also praised for the way that he has handled the

school’s approaching closure and its amalgamation and

federation with three other schools in Southway.

The citation said: “He has supported staff, many of whom had

to reapply for their jobs under the school reorganisation, and

provided a secure, comforting environment for pupils grieving

for their friend.”

Mr Lees, who did not know whether he would have a long-term

job when he took over a school earmarked for closure, said: “I

am completely overwhelmed and very pleased. This is recognition

for the whole team.”

Mr Baker, one of the longest-serving headteachers in the

city at 13 years, said: “It is very humbling and I am very

proud.”

The school’s woodwind orchestra happened to be playing at

the ceremony, which made the occasion even more special.

He said that the award provided a tonic to the bad headlines

the school had attracted when Lipson and five other schools

were warned to improve GCSE results or face possible

closure.

Lipson Community College was one of 638 identified by

Education Secretary Ed Balls, leading to some headlines talking

of ‘failing schools’.

Mr Baker said: “This award looks at every single aspect of

the school, for example its achievements in sports and the

arts. Politicians and journalists may be out for a cheap

headline but there are thousands of different jigsaw pieces

which make up a school.

“I am just proud to be the one who puts them together.”

Judges said that he had led the school to a host of

accolades. It was one of the first in the city to gain

specialist status.

James Gregory, 45, who has been at Devonport High School for

Girls for 11 years, where he is head of English. He leaves in

the summer to join a school in Torquay.

Judges said that he James ‘sprinkles magic dust and sparkles

around the school’ with his inspirational teaching and

committed support for his colleagues.

But the father-of-three said: “I work in a corridor where I

am thoroughly scared by the brilliance of the people around me.

Any one of them could have won this award.”

Governor of the year Andy Moir, an independent financial

advisor, puts aside his stocks and shares to literally muck in

at nearby Sir Robert Geffery’s Primary in Landrake.

He has waited up half the night for new piglets to arrive on

the school farm and has completed a cross-country run with

pupils through a muddy field.

Mr Moir, 42, joined the school nine years ago and helped it

recover from what Ofsted called ‘serious weaknesses’. He has

often dropped everything at short notice to attend a meeting or

deal with a problem.

He said: “I am very honoured. Helping piglets is not

normally a job you do as a governor but I live close by. I am

always happy to do what I can.”

Upton Cross Primary School near Liskeard won the DCSF Award

for Sustainable Schools in the South West.

The small school, with just 84 pupils has had a big impact

on the environment.

It has installed a wind turbine supplying a third of its

electricity and reducing CO2 emissions by six tonnes a year.

Pupils saved more than 4,000 copies of the Yellow Pages from

being dumped into landfills last year. The directories were

shredded, recycled and turned into animal bedding instead.

School meals are sourced locally, and all classes have access

to drinking water.

Senior teacher Jackie Wray said: “It is quite exciting, it

is brilliant. The wind turbines are a great symbol, but they

are a small part of what we do. It is more about the way that

the pupils think.”

The whole of Years 5 and 6 have been looking at climate

change this term in their lessons.

All of the regional winners go forward to the national

finals later in the year.

Several other teacher won distinctions: Lisa Lockwood of

saltash.net community school in the best new teacher category;

her colleague Philippa Wadsworth in the teaching enterprise

award; the school’s chairman of governors Kate Waghorn as

governor of the year.

Saltash.net Community School.

Sarah Rowe, of Weston Mill Primary School, and Francis

Norman, of St Pauls RC Primary School, were both commended in

the category of primary school teacher of the year.