Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link

Professional recognition for one of our teachers

Our teacher exchanges have led to an extraordinary outcome for a Hastings SL teacher: Letitia Huggins. Letitia has been involved in several of our partnerships – her school, Jui Upper Infant and Primary School, is currently partnered with Hollington Primary Academy. The experience she has gained over the years has been recognised at national level.

Our Very Special Teacher

In 2013 Letitia Huggins visited the UK from Sierra Leone for the first time. She learnt a lot from working in her partner school and talking to other teachers.

She took back what she had learnt and started to adapt it for teaching in her own classroom.

Since then, she has visited a second time, helped to run Teacher Workshops in Sierra Leone, tried out new ideas and shared her development with other teachers. During covid, she ran her own small school lessons from her home.

In 2024 she was selected to go forward to win the Regional Primary Teacher Award for the year. At the interview she spoke about how visiting UK schools and working with UK teachers had contributed towards her becoming the teacher that she is. She won the regional award, and was put forward for the National Award.

In September, she attended the National Award ceremony where she was chosen as Presidential Best  Primary Teacher 2024/25.

Since then she has represented Sierra Leone at the All Africa Education Conference in Rwanda. She says she had a wonderful experience, and shared ideas and information with teachers from other countries.

She says “All Honour goes to the UK Team. I appreciate your contributions in making me what I am today”.