Dina (on the left) with her Head Teacher.
The University of Northampton is pleased to announce that Dina Mayes from New College Leicester has been awarded 2015’s most outstanding Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) for the East Midlands. Dina will now represent the East Midlands at the National event in London in November.
Dina was accompanied by her fellow finalists – Tracy Bowler from Children’s Hospital School, Leicester City, Dawn Green from Wreake Valley Academy, Leicestershire and Karen Rigby from Little Gonerby C. of E. infant School, Lincolnshire at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 23rd June.
Dina is a literacy specialist working in the English Department as well as an advocate for all pupils with a special educational need at New College. She was chosen as the winner due to extensive evidence related to: her dedicated support for pupils while setting high expectations; her effective collaboration with colleagues not only from her setting but the local authority and her proactive stance when developing her own skills and knowledge.
She said: “It feels great to know how much you are valued and appreciated in school, and I couldn’t have got to where I am today without the support of all my colleagues at New College Leicester. Becoming a HLTA has not only improved my knowledge but it has given me the confidence to push my own learning further”
The award was aimed at teaching assistants who have gained Higher Level Teaching Assistant status through the University of Northampton. The initiative is a partnership between the East Midlands Regional Provider of Assessment and the HLTA National Assessment Partnership, and seeks to recognise the valuable role HLTAs play in schools.
