Statement from SAST (Shaftesbury School ) Headteacher Donna London-Hill 

We are delighted to announce that Alex More, teacher at Shaftesbury School has been named as one of 80 Pearson National Teaching Award Silver Award winners across the country. Alex is honoured with a Silver Award in The Award for Digital Innovator of the Year for his outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the children he works with every day.

Alex was surprised with the award at an assembly in school with party poppers and a cake!

Alex is the Lead Teacher of Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Shaftesbury School. He is an active head of faculty and leads the school's award-winning STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) programme and the ‘Future Classroom’. He has a keen interest in teaching, learning, educational technology, and progressive pedagogy.

Alex is currently completing his EdD through distanced learning at Bath University and has recently become a Hundred Ambassador, working in an advisory capacity to judge global innovations. He has had a significant impact on Shaftesbury School’s students, parents and the local community as well as making global connections, including with a school in Ghana.

Donna London-Hill, Headteacher of Shaftesbury School said “We are so incredibly proud of Alex and he is thoroughly deserving of this national award; his energy and drive for thinking about, and bringing the future of education to the heart of our school is second to none. I also want to congratulate Becky Yeo, another of our teachers who was highly commended; she is an incredibly caring, passionate teacher. We are very fortunate here at Shaftesbury School to be surrounded by brilliant teachers and also our non-teaching staff, who go out of their way daily to provide students with support and excellence in education”.

As a Silver Award winner, Alex has now been shortlisted to win one of just 16 Gold Awards later in the year. These once in a lifetime achievements will be broadcast on the BBC’s The One Show as part of a week-long celebration of teaching, which sees famous faces honour award winners every night in the run up to the ceremony. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the exceptional school staff who have worked wonders to bring together their local communities despite the challenges of the past few years. 

The Silver Award winners are being honoured as part of the wider celebrations for national ‘Thank a Teacher Day’, bringing together everyone across the country to celebrate the schools and colleges at the heart of our communities.