Inspirational Bridgend Educator Wins National Teaching Award For Transformative Work

Bridgend based specialist provision, Y Bont have been recognised with a Silver Award for Early Years Team of the Year in this year’s Pearson National Teaching Awards. Chosen from thousands of nominees, they will now be in with the chance of winning the highly desired Gold Award, which will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony in London and on BBC One’s The One Show later this year.

Y Bont is the only specialist nursery provision in South Wales for Children with Complex medical needs, life limiting conditions and other disabilities. As a charity, we fundraise to be able to provide the vital care and support to families who need it the most and we are very highly commended in the local community. We live by the motto that ‘every child is an artist, they just need to find their paintbrush’ We are very passionate that every child can achieve whatever they want to achieve with our creative thinking, exploration and support.

A Y Bont, every child has the opportunity to Learn, develop and take part in every activity regardless of need or ability. There is always a way for a child to experience the activities we do and we are very passionate about every child reaching their potential in their unique way. All of our learning occurs through play and is child focussed.

Our child focussed approach runs through all that we do and parents / carers and other professionals involved with the child are linked in to meetings / sessions to ensure we have a multi-disciplinary approach in all we do. Complex medical children we look after have care plans in place and we work very closely with the community nursing team, paediatricians, respiratory teams, gastro teams, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language and medical teams dictated by the child’s conditions For our children who have emerging needs, we work closely with teams delivering interventions such as enhanced play and building blocks for communication, Educational Psychologists and the Local Authority ALN teams amongst many others.

The Early Years Team at Y Bont are one of 93 deserving teachers, lecturers, leaders, support staff and institutions recognised as a silver winner in this year’s awards for the lasting impact they have on shaping the lives of young people.

The announcement follows tributes from celebrities, students and schools across the UK as they say thank you to all those who work in education to mark National Thank a Teacher Day.

Celebrating the whole education community, National Thank a Teacher Day and the Pearson National Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity established over 25 years ago to celebrate the transformative impact of education, shining a spotlight on the pivotal roles teachers, support staff, colleges, schools and early years educators play in inspiring young people, every single day.

Sarah Jones, CEO of Y Bont says: “Y Bont truly is a magical place where all children and their unique abilities are celebrated and supported to succeed through their Early Years journey. My team change the lives of not just the children we work with but of the families we support.

Our team are inspirational! They go above and beyond on a daily basis to support the families and children who attend. When you work so closely with children with such complex needs, you become part of the families support network and a vital part of that family supporting them through medical procedures, diagnosis, emergency situations and just every day life.

For the team to receive recognition for the work they do is just incredible. We were all ecstatic to be shortlisted and now to find out we are Silver winners, we are absolutely blown away!”

Sir Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate, and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, says: “The dedication and impact of those involved in educating young people is truly remarkable. Their influence extends well beyond the classroom – offering encouragement, inspiration, and unwavering support that can shape lives for years to come. That’s why National Thank a Teacher Day is an important opportunity to pause and celebrate all that they do.

“I’m also delighted to be able to congratulate this year’s Silver Award winners. Your passion and commitment to shaping the next generation is extraordinary. Thank you for the difference you make every single day.”

Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK, says: “Every day, educators across the UK go above and beyond to inspire, support, and shape the future generation. Today, we proudly recognise those making an extraordinary impact. Our Silver Award winners represent the very best of the profession, and we’re thrilled to celebrate their dedication and achievements. Congratulations to all of this year’s Silver winners!”

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, says: “On Thank a Teacher Day, I want to celebrate the remarkable professionals who are the backbone of our education system. Brilliant teachers make the single biggest difference to a child’s education.

“I’ve experienced first-hand how a great teacher can make all the difference. Teachers don’t just deliver lessons – they transform lives, inspire curiosity, and build the confidence our children need to succeed. For this incredible commitment to our nation’s future, we owe our teachers our deepest gratitude

Y Bont needs your help… – a Community crowdfunding project in Bridgend by Y Bont