A teaching assistant from Hitchin has won a national award for her dedicated service.

Kerry Mills, who works at Hitchin Girls' School, was named Secondary Teaching Assistant of the Year at a ceremony held at the school on Friday, September 29.

Her success has led to her taking home a trophy, certificate and voucher.

Colleagues nominated Kerry for the award, which she won despite tough competition from hundreds of other teaching assistants.

Her colleagues said that she is an advocate for students who works tirelessly to make them feel comfortable and inspired to learn.

One colleague said: “Kerry has been pivotal at coordinating alternative provision for a range of students, creating bespoke resources so one student could complete the Arts Award which hugely boosted her self-confidence and ability to access the rest of school life.

"She has worked with a range of learners who struggle in the classroom environment to listen to their needs, advocate for them with teaching staff and create resources to help them to access the curriculum.

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"She leads a club for those who struggle with social interaction which is very popular and has encouraged friendships to form where students have previously found this difficult to sustain.”

The awards were founded by Teaching Personnel, a recruitment agency, and are run in collaboration with Best Practice Network, an education training provider.

They have been held annually since 2012 as part of National Teaching Assistants Day, which celebrates the contribution of TAs across primary, secondary and special schools.

Kane Punyer, managing director of Teaching Personnel, said: “There are almost a quarter of a million TAs working in England’s schools, going the extra mile day in and day out, but their value is often underestimated.

"That’s why we run the National Teaching Assistants Day every year to recognise and celebrate wonderful individuals like Kerry who make such a difference to children’s lives.”