From the Teacher Support Network, www.teachersupport.info.

TEACHER SUPPORT CYMRU CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF SUPPORT LINE

Teacher Support Cymru marked the 10th anniversary of their free, confidential Support Line last night at Senedd in Cardiff Bay.

You can see photos from the event on our Flickr page.

Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Jane Hutt,spoke at the event, as well as Julian Stanley, Teacher Support Cymru Chief Executive.Teachers, trade unionists, local authority representativesand others from across education also attended the event.

The Teacher Support Line (then known as Teacherline) was launched in 1999, providing free and confidential support for teachers in England and Wales. However, it was soon recognised that there were many issues unique to Wales that need to be addressed and that a Welsh specific service, tailored to the local education system, was the answer.

Teacher Support Cymru was launched in 2002, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government, which provided the start-up funding needed for the charity to develop. This funding also enabled the charity to provide a bilingual service, so that the needs of teachers could be met throughout Wales.

At the event, Jane Hutt said: “It is essential that teachers are provided with the support they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability and give our learners the very best chance. I wish Teacher Support Cymru every success in continuing to provide services to our teachers in Wales.”

Teacher Support Network Chief Executive Julian Stanley said: “The event was a terrific success. Teachers play such an important role in everybody’s lives and were very proud of how much the phone line and our other services have been able to support the profession over the last 10 years.

“We were verypleasedto hear a contribution from the Minister and to have so many friends from across education and beyond join us for the occasion. The Minister was right to highlight the link between the wellbeing of teachers and the effectiveness of education in Wales.Teaching is a very rewarding profession butcan also be very challenging. Itis therefore critically important that teachers in Wales continue to have access to the practical and emotional support Teacher Support Cymru provides.

“With demand for our services growing, the event came at a critical time for Teacher Support Cymru. We are extremely grateful for the support the Welsh Assembly Government has given and will build on this partnership in the years to come. However, this funding will come to an end in 2010, meaning that Teacher Support Cymru must work hard to secure alternative sources of funding in order to continue to support teachers.”

For the Teacher Support Cymru Press Office, contact Joe Williams on 02076 972 762, 07825 511 927 or here: