There are not many schools awarded a school of the year award by a Deputy Lord Lieutenant – and not many schools enjoy special visits from David Walliams.
Churchtown Primary School in Southport managed to celebrate both feats in the same day in May, when Deputy Lord Lieutenant Of Merseyside Julie Lawson BEM presented the Sefton School Of The Year Award, sponsored by Southport College, to Headteacher Jinnie Payne; David Clayton, the Chief Executive of Endeavour Learning Trust, their colleagues and children.
First to congratulate them was multi award winning children’s author and TV personality David Walliams, who had wanted to pay a very special visit to the school where he shared stories, read from his books and enjoyed lots of laughter with the pupils.
For students in Years 3-6, he shared insights into his creative process, revealing how he gets his ideas for his books. He also treated them to short readings from his earlier works and an exclusive sneak peek of his latest book, The World’s Worst Superheroes.
For younger pupils in Reception to Year 2, Mr Walliams hosted a magical storytime session, reading from The World’s Worst Children, leaving his young audience spellbound.
He and his publishers, HarperCollins Children’s Books, donated books to each child in the school and also gave a selection of books to the school’s new library, which will open this autumn as part of the Churchtown Playground project, dedicated to the memory of former pupils Alice and Bebe.
Reflecting on his visit, Mr Walliams said: “I have wanted to come to the school for some time to try and spread some happiness and help them on their mission to having a brand-new library.”
Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Julie Lawson BEM presented the 2025 Sefton School of The Year Award to Churchtown Primary School which was won through the Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards.
Headteacher Mrs Payne was unable to collect the accolade at the awards night held at The Grand in Southport in April as she was busy preparing to run the London Marathon alongside Sergio Aguiar, to raise money to create a brand new playground at the school.
They raised an astonishing £360,000 in the process, with some of the funds being allocated to creating a brand new library, which will include a whole set of books donated by David Walliams.
Mrs Jinnie Payne was also awarded the Sefton Community Impact Award sponsored by Carlsberg by Julie Lawson BEM, while teacher Pip Coysh was awarded the Finalist award in the same category.
A Churchtown Primary School spokesperson said: “Being awarded ‘Sefton School of the Year’ is testament to the hard work of every single member of our school community, to ensure we provide each child in our care the opportunity to thrive, feel empowered and ultimately, for them to feel happy and confident learners!
“Whilst this is an honour, we must give special recognition to the other nominees in this category and to the other schools who have worked tirelessly, especially over the last year.
“We were blown away with everything you have done and continue to do and are so thankful to be surrounded by such an amazing network of schools for support and guidance.
“Thank you all once again for your ongoing support!”
One of the many Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards nominations submitted for the school said: “Churchtown Primary School is an exceptional place, where children, colleagues, parents and the wider community are embraced as equals. The school has a clear vision for inclusion, focussed on ensuring that every child benefits from the support that they need, when they need it, enabling all children to flourish and thrive.
“However, this year the school has faced unimaginable tragedy following the horrific events of last summer. The impact of these events has been profound at Churchtown because of the significant number of children and adults impacted. Both adults injured in the attack were current or former colleagues, Alice da Silva Aguiar was a pupil at Churchtown, and Bebe King had been a pupil until February 2024.
“The devastating impact of these events is incomprehensible, but the school has placed itself at the centre of the community through demonstrating a clear determination to stand side-by-side with all of those facing difficulties in the aftermath of this incident.
“Whilst some across the country chose to use this incident as an opportunity to sow division, Churchtown sent a clear message of hope, love and unity. This message was guided by the families involved, who have been central to the school’s response.
“Under the leadership of Jinnie Payne, Headteacher and with the support of Endeavour Learning Trust, Churchtown worked tirelessly to ensure that children, colleagues and parents were all given access to the support they needed. Two days after the attack during the summer holidays, the school opened its doors to all, providing a place for children, colleagues and families to come together to share in their grief and find connection. Mental health and educational psychology support services were put in place so that those present could access professional support where needed.
“This event was repeated weekly throughout the summer, facilitated by dozens of staff from Churchtown giving up their period of leave to support.
“At every stage, Churchtown Primary School’s response has been thoughtful, sensitive, considered and impactful.
“Significant planning around the start of the school year including additional training for colleagues meant that children returned to school with the best support and environment possible.
“Despite the huge challenges faced, together, the school community continues to build from strength to strength. Parental feedback demonstrates just how impactful the school’s work has been this year more than any other.
“The Headteacher of Churchtown Primary School, Jinnie Payne, has been working closely with the families involved to consider a lasting tribute for Alice and Bebe. Alice’s parents determined that they wanted to create a new playground for the school so that Alice could continue to bring joy and happiness to the school community, as she did throughout her life. In order to fundraise for the important cause, Jinnie ran the London Marathon alongside Sergio Aguiar, Alice’s Dad, and Gareth Caunce, Endeavour Learning Trust’s Director of Primary Education who works extensively with Churchtown.
“At the heart of the work within Churchtown is the purpose that has been set for us by Alice’s parents; they do not want any child’s education to be detrimentally impacted as a result of this dreadful incident. Everybody at Churchtown is committed to this mission and are working tirelessly to ensure that this is the case.”
The Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards are organised annually by Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group and Stand Up For Southport with media support from In Demand Radio, with each of the 13 categories sponsored by supportive local businesses.
Over 2,000 nominations were received for this year’s Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards.
Next year’s awards will take place at The Grand on Lord Street in Southport on Friday 24th April 2026.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
