An ‘inspirational’ Nottingham teacher with four decades of service to children with special educational needs has been invited to attend a Downing Street reception.

Claire Waldrom, deputy headteacher at Rosehill School, in St Ann’s, received a personal invitation from Theresa May to a special event at Number 10 on Monday (21 May) which will ‘celebrate the outstanding work of teachers’.

It follows a Ministerial visit to the St Matthias Road school in March when the Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds, met pupils and staff during a tour of the site.

Mr Hinds wrote to the school a few days afterwards to say how much he enjoyed the visit, and how impressed he was with the pupils, parents and staff that he spoke to.

Rosehill has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted four times and supports pupils with autism aged between four and 19 years old.

Claire has been teaching pupils with special educational needs for 37 years in Nottingham and has been working at Rosehill since 2009.

She said: “I’m honoured to have been asked to attend a reception at Downing Street and I look forward to talking with the Prime Minister about what we’re doing in Nottingham and what more we can still achieve.

“I am passionate about making a difference to the lives of children and young people with special educational needs in our city. I’ve had the privilege over the past 37 years of supporting families both inside and outside school, many of whom were experiencing challenging times, health-related difficulties and barriers to learning.

“Rosehill strives to ensure that every child is part of a safe, caring, respectful and vibrant community. We want all of our pupils to grow and thrive while they are with us.

“I feel privileged to receive this commendation and can honestly say I have enjoyed every working day of my career.”

Cheryl Steele, headteacher at Rosehill School, said: “I’m so proud that Claire has been chosen to attend this visit with the Prime Minister in recognition of her outstanding contributions to education and special needs provision across four decades, as well as her ongoing dedication to children and families in Nottingham.

“Claire is a true inspiration and we’re so pleased that she has been asked to visit Downing Street in honour of everything she’s done for Nottingham.”

Councillor Neghat Khan, Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills at Nottingham City Council, said: “I’d like to pay tribute to Claire’s incredible commitment to youngsters in Nottingham with special educational needs. It is truly inspiring to think of all the lives that she has touched through her dedication to providing learning opportunities for all pupils – and for close to 40 years too.

“Nottingham is an inclusive city where we want to see all pupils enjoy school and achieve their potential, whatever it may be that they choose to do next.

“Rosehill is a shining example of the outstanding provision here for children with learning difficulties. Ofsted inspectors have awarded it their highest grade on four occasions now and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future.”