Eastbourne key worker is honoured with ‘inspiration’ award

Jefferson Nash, who works with pupils at St Catherine’s College, attended the HELLO! Inspiration Awards to accept the ‘community inspiration award’ on behalf of School-Home Support’s 60 key workers – along with chief executive Jaine Stannard.

The award, which ‘shines a light on acts of kindness and community from people going the extra mile to help others’, was presented by newsreader Anita Rani.

Mr Nash said, “I feel both honoured and proud to be part of such an amazing team that is making such a difference in these unprecedented times.”

A spokesperson from School-Home Support said their 60 practitioners work directly with vulnerable children and families to look past the classroom and tackle the issues they face at home.

The spokesperson said, “These include issues such as poverty, domestic violence and struggles with mental health - all of which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.”

Jaine Stannard said, “We’re absolutely delighted that our practitioners have been celebrated at the Inspiration Awards.

“The work we do to get children back into school and ready to learn is totally dependent on the skills and dedication of our practitioners.

“During the pandemic, our practitioners worked tirelessly to ensure vulnerable pupils still received the support they needed.

“Among other vital support, they delivered workpacks to doorsteps, bought food from supermarkets and checked in on them to ensure they were safe, fed and accessing their education.

“Now, 18 months on from the start of the pandemic, the need for School-Home Support services has never been greater. We know that there are many more thousands of children and young people urgently needing specialist support from our practitioners.”