Special Educational Needs Staff Award, sponsored by Hampshire County Council

A TEACHING assistant who has served a school which helps students with special educational needs for 25 years has been honoured.

Karen Piper, from Coppice Spring School, earned the Special Educational Needs Staff Award after being nominated for her efforts at the school in engaging and helping vulnerable children.

Karen said: “This is fantastic, I really didn’t know that I was going to win.

“This has been a lovely experience. I’ve been doing this job for 25 years, and I know that it can require a lot of patience.

“I love working with kids, and it almost doesn’t feel like a job.

“It is quite something to be honoured for doing a job that you enjoy doing.”

Karen was praised in her nomination for her dedication, her skills in working with vulnerable children and sharing her experience with other members of staff.

Part of her nomination read: “Karen genuinely cares about all the children in the school.

“She regularly works with the most vulnerable children in our town and has turned around countless lives in her time at Coppice Spring.

“She is an outstanding teaching assistant who helps the students with expert skill.

“She is always able to find the best in any situation, and any child.

“She is a mother hen for the students and the school would be a lot harder place without her.”