Staff across South Hampshire College Group have received national recognition from the Pearson National Teaching Awards for their exceptional contributions this year.
Recipients of Pearson honours included Gemma Braybrook, Lecturer in Media, Marketing and Event Management, Clair Pearman, Reception and Administrative Assistant, and the collective College Group IT Department. The awards were announced on National Thank a Teacher Day, a nationwide celebration of all the incredible work across the education community and the impact teachers and staff have on the student experience.
Gemma Braybrook was announced as a Bronze Winner in the Pearson’s FE Lecturer of the Year category. This accolade reflects her significant impact in the Media, Marketing and Events department, having initially stepped up this year to deliver this course single-handedly and at peak, providing teaching and support to over 70 students. Thanks to Gemma’s tireless efforts, students have enjoyed an enriched course program, including a huge range of internal and external events, with a record number progressing successfully into industry careers or higher education.
Gemma commented: “I’m shocked, to be honest, I never imagined I’d win this award. It’s been a challenging year in our department and there’s times you think you won’t get through it but you find a way somehow and build resilience along the way which is what we do for these students. They’re my inspiration and they keep me going.”
Clair Pearman received a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate in the Pearson’s Unsung Hero category. This recognition was given in light of Clair’s strong impact on the college community in her front-facing role at Eastleigh College. Clair’s exemplary professionalism and positivity has helped diffuse many challenging situations and her excellent knowledge has helped her become a trusted and reliable figure for students and staff alike.
Reflecting on her win, Clair said: “This was totally unexpected, I love my job and never expect to get anything like this back from it. I always do my best to make sure our students feel safe and happy in the environment that they’re in so to have this recognised makes me feel happy.”
The South Hampshire College Group IT team was awarded Pearson’s ‘Certificate of Excellence’ in the FE Team of the Year category as a commendation for their sterling efforts in creating a brand-new network that is now used by over 8000 students and staff across three college sites and two training centres. Maintaining an impressive 100% uptime rate on this new network, while simultaneously balancing four existing college networks, is a testament to the collaboration and teamwork of this highly skilled department and has enriched the digital experience for both students and staff alike.
Rosie Sharp, Vice Principal at South Hampshire College Group, commented: “The Pearson Teaching Awards are often seen as the ‘Oscars’ of the teaching community, so all our winners should feel extremely proud of themselves for their accomplishments. We are very fortunate as a College Group to have so many wonderful staff who truly go above and beyond for our students, it makes our community a fantastic place to grow, learn and achieve.”
National Thank a Teacher Day and the Pearson National Teaching Awards are organised by the Teaching Awards Trust—an independent charity founded over 25 years ago to celebrate the powerful impact of education. The Trust highlights the vital contributions of teachers, support staff, schools, colleges, and early years educators in inspiring and shaping young lives every day.
