Staff and students at Winkfield St Mary's CE Primary School have been celebrated by the local community after a tragic event brought the school together to support the family.

The school, located on Winkfield Row, received the gold award at the 2024 Pride of Bracknell Forest Awards at the Royal Military Academy on Friday, April 19.

This comes as hundreds of nominations flooded in to celebrate the work that the school and its teachers have provided over the last year.

Presenter of the awards, Ady Williams, said: “The school is celebrated by both staff and pupils, and is a key pillar of the community.

“When one of its pupils sadly passed away at the age of 7, the school acted with grace and honour helping the family put on a fundraising event at the Bracknell Leisure Centre where the whole community gathered to show their support.”

Jasmine Freeman, passed away in January 2024 after a year-long battle with an aggressive brain tumour.

The school has arranged memorial services, therapy dogs and spiritual guidance to help pupils cope with the loss of the student.

Lisa Fazey, - Jasmine’s Year 3 Teacher- from Winkfield St Mary’s CE Primary School also won the gold award for Teacher of the Year.

Following the awards, Lisa said: “Teaching isn’t about individuals, it’s about a team and I work with such an amazing team of people and we’ve come together as a family through this very difficult time. This is for Year 3.”