Ms Finnegan, who teaches at St Hubert's RC primary school in Warley, was selected from thirteen regional winners from across the UK. Actor Matthew MacFadyen presented the award at the National Teaching Awards ceremony, hosted by Eammon Holmes and aired live on BBC TWO last night.

A prize package, including school equipment and a study visit to South Africa, was presented by Sir Brian Follett, chair of the TDA, which sponsored the award as part of its drive to recruit more maths, science and languages graduates into teaching.

Ms Finnegan, who originally trained as an engineer, started her school career seven years ago working as a parent helper, before deciding to study for a degree and training on-the-job to become a teacher.  Colleagues praised her for "her ability to think inside children's heads and capture their imagination".

TDA chair Sir Brian Follett said:

"Well done to Christine and all of this year's winners. To be selected for a National Teaching Award is a terrific achievement.  Ofsted has said the current generation of new teachers is the best ever, and Christine has demonstrated this through her innovation, commitment and enthusiasm.

"The TDA is delighted to sponsor the award for the Outstanding New Teacher of the year. We look forward to working with schools to give teachers and support staff good training and development so that they can continue to progress throughout their careers."

Award winner Ms Finnegan said:

"I love teaching. Every day is different and you find that you too are learning alongside the children. It's incredibly rewarding to work with children and to be able to build up their confidence.  Working as a parent helper and learning support assistant I had so many ideas of my own it was a natural step to train to become a teacher. I wouldn’t want to do any other job."

Notes for editors

The Training and Development Agency for Schools was established under the Education Act 2005 and was formerly known as the Teacher Training Agency. Its purpose is to raise children's standards of achievement and promote their well-being by improving the training and development of the whole school workforce.

The TDA is sponsor of the award for Outstanding New Teacher. The Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust. For further details, or to nominate a teacher, teaching assistant or governor for the 2006 awards, see www.teachingawards.com

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