PLUME Academy teachers were recognised for their outstanding achievements at this year’s Essex Teaching Awards.

The Maldon academy saw three of its staff recognised at the awards ceremony for 2018 which was held at Hamptons Sports and Leisure Centre in Chelmsford on Thursday.

Headteacher Carl Wakefield received the “Highly Commended” certificate for Secondary Headteacher of the Year, with geography teacher James Cooper and modern foreign languages faculty leader Sarah Rimbaut both receiving “Highly Commended” certificates for the Students’ Choice Award for secondary schools.

The Essex County Council-run event celebrates excellence in education and highlights the outstanding work of teachers and other staff in the county’s schools.

Carl Wakefield said: “It was an absolute honour to simply attend the annual Essex Teaching Awards in Chelmsford last week and be in the company of some high quality professionals both from a teaching as well as a support staff perspective.

“To see two of my colleagues receive such prestigious commendations really was a joy to behold.

“In terms of my own award, I accepted this on behalf of the two families in my life; my own of course but also my Plume family as whilst it may have been me walking up to receive it, such recognition will always be related to a team effort and last Thursday was no exception.

“On this note and at Plume Academy, I have a superb team of staff, the best I have ever had the good fortune to work alongside, and they really do work hard on a daily basis, always putting our students’ best interests at the heart of everything they do.

“In terms of the students themselves, as well as their respective families of course, it also continues to be a privilege to work alongside this pair of stakeholders, and I genuinely hope this is the case for many more years to come.”

Ray Gooding, ECC cabinet member for education, said: “Schools in Essex do an excellent job, with about 94 per cent currently rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted and pupils continuing to achieve fantastic results.

“Teachers and other school staff have obviously played a vital role in those successes and hearing about the difference our award winners have made to the lives of young people in the county is always one of the main highlights of my year.

“I am very proud of their achievements and these awards are a great way of recognising their hard work and commitment.”