It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Catherine Holloway, a beloved member of our school family, who died late on Saturday night, peacefully and surrounded by family.

For the past seven years, she dedicated her life to nurturing and inspiring our young learners, leaving an indelible mark on every child, colleague, and parent she encountered.

Her warmth, patience, and passion for teaching (and the incredible love for all things Christmas!) transformed her classroom into a space of learning, laughter, and love. She was not just a teacher but a mentor, a role model, and a friend to so many.

We will remember her for her unwavering kindness, her encouraging smile, and the way she believed in every child’s potential. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of her students and the lessons she so selflessly shared.

Miss Holloway began here journey at Barton Hill Academy in 2017 as a cover class teacher. She soon made her mark with larger than life personality and indelegable positivity. Her love of learning beyond the classroom soon led her to become a perminent class teacher, largly based in lower key stage 2.  Her unwavering commitment to the school resulted in her becoming PSHE lead, where she drove the importance of wellbeing and mental health understanding within the community. The impact of her work on the cultral captial map will conintue to have a lasting lagacy on the incredible range of trips and experiences our children are part of during their time at our school.

When the school went through a period of uncertainty, Catherine galvansised the staff team. She was a shoulder to lean on, a comforting presense and a real adovacate for staff. This cermented her place as the heart and spirit of staff team. This resulted in her becoming the school's union rep, bridging the gap between the union and leadership, at school and Trust level. This was a role that Catherine took extremely seriously and a role that she did with humility and integrity. She continued to advocate for both school and union reps through her time in post and the school and community are stronger for her incredible work.

Upon learning of her illness, Catherine approached it the way she approached everything - with positivity and with the best interests of others. She coninuted to give her all to the school and the children in her care. Even in her final hours, she was giving instructions about how the donations she had orgainsed for the Christmas Fair needed to be given to the school and in what order. This is testiment to the character and selflessness of person she was, she always put others first and loved Christmas!

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her during this difficult time. Rest peacefully, Miss Holloway. You will always be missed, but never forgotten.