An Islander who worked to provide support for pupils in his school in the wake of a major terrorist attack has been made an OBE in the 2023 New Year Honours list.
Chris Upton, who was born and educated in Jersey before moving to the UK and becoming head teacher of Tarleton Community Primary School in Lancashire, led his school community after an eight-year-old pupil became the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.
The death of Saffie-Rose Roussos had a profound impact on the school community, with Mr Upton’s leadership helping pupils, parents and staff cope with her loss.
Mr Upton said it had taken a while for the news to sink in after he was told about the honour for services to education.
He said: ‘I am immensely honoured and proud to receive it, not only for myself, but for all those connected with our school.
‘Tarleton Community Primary is a special place to be and I want to pay tribute to our staff, children, parents and the communities of the villages of Tarleton and Hesketh Bank in pulling together in the darkest of times to ensure we did the best for our children.’
In the wake of the bombing, and during the Manchester Arena Inquiry, Mr Upton made a number of recommendations to the Home Office and Department for Education from his experiences to support education leaders’ preparedness for a terror attack, contributing to the development of a national strategy in this area.
The head teacher also set up charity the Sparkle Bean Trust to support primary schools hit by traumatic events.
Mr Upton, who was not named on the local honours list announced by Government House as the actions which resulted in his recognition were carried out in the UK, attended Trinity Primary, Grainville and Hautlieu schools before leaving the Island in 1998 to complete teacher training.
The majority of his family including his parents, Janice and Derek, still live in Jersey.