Winners of National Teaching Awards announced

TdaNews Direct
Published: 23 October, 2007

The winners of the National Teaching Awards were announced this weekend.

Each winner at the awards ceremony, which was held at the London Palladium and attended by more than 2,000 people, received a "gleaming Plato" from a range of famous faces including the Secretary of State for Children, Ed Balls, and Deborah Meaden from BBC Two TV show Dragons' Den.

Celebrated teachers include Mr Andy Bell at Metheringham Primary School who won the BT Award for Teacher of the Year in a Primary School, Mrs Anne Hegarty of St Brigids Primary School who topped the Teaching Assistant of the Year category and Mr Matthew Evans of Forest Boys School in West Sussex who scooped the Teaching Award for Enterprise.

Kate Thornton, who co-hosted the event with radio DJ Jeremy Vine, said: "Teachers' contribution to society is immeasurable - each and every one of us has been shaped by the way we were educated.

"[They] are the unsung heroes of our society and we're making sure their hard work and dedication doesn’t go un-noticed…a brilliant teacher can change the course of your life."

Broadcasted live on BBC Two on Sunday, the Teaching Awards were open to every school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and aimed to celebrate excellence and promote the best practice in education.