Two long-serving staff members at Fairfax Academy in Sutton Coldfield are set to walk the red carpet after being shortlisted for prestigious awards.
Deputy Head of Academy Rachel Boyce, who has taught at Fairfax for 22 years, has been shortlisted for a Lifetime Achievement Award; while Assistant Principal for Inclusion and Participation Helen Williams, who has been at Fairfax for 25 years, is up for an Outstanding Support for Students Award.
Both have been shortlisted in the prestigious Education Awards, which celebrate and reward the most outstanding contributors to education in a string of glittering events across the UK.
Rachel said: “I’m very excited to have been nominated. Helen and I both see ourselves as ‘behind the scenes’ people, not doing what we do for recognition but because it’s right for the kids and the school.
“To be formally recognised like this is something neither of us ever expected – it’s really flattering.”
“Having this Award nomination isn’t just about me – it’s about everyone I’ve crossed paths with,”
– rachel boyce
Helen, who specialises in inclusion, student wellbeing and personal development, said: “I came into teaching to make a difference. If you want outstanding results, you’ve got to build relationships with the kids.
“Children communicate in many ways. As teachers we’re here to help them learn academically but also develop as people, to make them ready for the outside world.
“It’s so humbling that other educators have noticed my passion for helping children – I can’t believe I’ve been nominated!”
Both Rachel and Helen have received massive support from their colleagues following their nominations – and were quick to sing each other’s praises too.
Rachel said: “This is the second time Helen’s been shortlisted. She will go the extra mile for any student who needs her – she’s so giving. We joke that she walks through a corridor slower than other staff members, because she’s always being stopped and greeted by the kids!”
Helen said: “Rachel has been inspirational to so many people at the school over the years she’s been here.
“The amount of emotional support and wellbeing work she does, how encouraging she is in the classroom and outside, her attention to detail and organisation – she’s just amazing.”
It isn’t just a passion for educating and supporting students which Rachel and Helen have in common. They both said being a teacher was a lifetime ambition for them, right from when they were children.
Helen said: “I have a picture of me from when I was four years old, dressed in an orange skirt, bright blue eyeshadow and a handbag, and it says, ‘when I grow up I want to be a teacher’.
“Blue eyeshadow might have gone out of fashion since then, but my passion has never changed!”
And of course, with decades of teaching under their belts, Rachel and Helen regularly bump into former students now thriving in their adult lives.
Rachel said: “I live in the local community, so I often see former students of mine thriving in their adult lives. We teach children whose parents we taught – and we’ve even had staff who we taught! It certainly does feel like a lifetime.”
Helen said: “My kids always joke that I can’t go anywhere without bumping into a former student, whether it’s in the UK or abroad – and they always want to tell me what house they were in and who won Eisteddfod when they were at Fairfax! It just goes to show that Fairfax stays part of their identity long after they leave.”
“It’s so humbling that other educators have noticed my passion for helping children – I can’t believe I’ve been nominated!”
– helen williams
Fairfax Principal Sean Castle said: “Rachel is a true educator in every sense of the word — passionate, principled, and tireless in her belief that every child deserves the best.
“Her legacy is written in the futures of the thousands of students she’s inspired and supported over the years, and in the strength and culture of the school we are today. Fairfax simply wouldn’t be what it is without her.
It’s hard to imagine anyone more worthy of a Lifetime Achievement Award than Rachel.”
Rachel believes the pair’s nominations were only possible because of the supportive, family-like atmosphere among Fairfax’s staff.
She said: “Having this Award nomination isn’t just about me – it’s about everyone I’ve crossed paths with.
“The Fairfax Multi-Academy Trust (FMAT) has changed and evolved so much over my time here, but the core ethos has never changed: that focus on the children.”
Of Helen, Sean said: “What sets Helen apart is her unwavering commitment to the well-being and success of every student and every member of staff. She is the person who quietly gets things done, the person everyone turns to, and the person who never seeks the spotlight—but unquestionably deserves it.
“Helen’s support has helped shape a culture of care, consistency, and ambition at Fairfax. She embodies our values every single day, and I can say, without hesitation, that our school is a better place because of her.
“This nomination is just a small way of recognising her enormous contribution—and I truly believe she is a worthy winner of this award.”
Helen said: “All of us here at Fairfax share the same goal, to support children through their development and learning journey. Without the help of my colleagues, I couldn’t have achieved everything I’m so proud of.”