I was contacted at the end of last week by Kirsten Finley, Headteacher at Tranmere Park Primary School who wanted to let me know the sad news about her colleague Joan Crowther...

"Dear Chris, Please forgive me for adding to your already overflowing mail box but I felt I should let you know about a very sad loss for your colleagues here at Tranmere Park Primary School. Last week we lost a fantastic person. Joan Crowther, a teaching assistant at the school for over 15 years who had endured a 10 month battle with an aggressive brain cancer, sadly passed away on Tuesday at the age of 55.

Joan was a truly fantastic person, she was always smiling, always busy and ALWAYS put the children first. There are many children who have benefitted from her dedication to her job, and the donations for Wheatfields Hospice of almost £600 evidence the high regard she was held in by her colleagues and the parents and children of our school.

I think it would mean a lot to her family if Joan's outstanding contribution to the education of so many children could be recognised in some way by Education Leeds.

Best Regards, Kirsten"

We seem to have lost a large number of very special people this year, people who have touched our lives and the lives of so many children and their families. It's really important that we all remember these coleagues whose energy, passion and joy changes lives and makes such a difference in our schools. I hope that we can all find a way to commemorate the lives of colleagues like Joan and the many others we have lost this year.
Chris