A DEDICATED teacher has won a prestigious award in recognition of her hard work.

Claudia Windley of Greensward Academy, in Hockley, has won a Silver Teaching Award in the category Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School.

Selected from thousands of nominations, Mrs Windley is one of just 68 Silver Award winners across the country who will be celebrated today on Thank A Teacher Day, as the Pearson National Teaching Awards marks its 21st year of celebrating excellence in education.

Katie Scarnell, Greensward Academy head, said: “The whole school community is exceptionally proud of Claudia and her achievement.

“The way in which Claudia cares and guides her students is truly inspirational and she is thoroughly deserving of this acknowledgement.”

Mrs Windley, who is the school’s head of art, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive such an accolade. It is so wonderful for teachers to be recognised in this way.

“Doing a job that I love is rewarding enough, but this is the icing on the cake.”

The top teacher will be presented with a trophy at her school to celebrate her outstanding achievement.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, founded in 1998 to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people. Today, on Thank A Teacher Day, the Teaching Awards Trust is asking people to say thank you to a teacher who has made a difference.