A LOCAL teacher has won the primary school Teacher of the Year award for the South West region — and says she is 'embarrassed'.
Julie Curtis, deputy headteacher at St Andrew's School in Buckland Monachorum, received her 'Plato' award at a ceremony in Plymouth Guildhall last week, where the Master of Ceremonies was BBC Radio Devon presenter Tony Gillham — who told the audience they were ambassadors for their profession.
Julie was nominated by various people at her school, who wrote citations for the three judges — one of whom was Mags Long, headteacher of St Rumon's School in Tavistock, who won the national award for leadership in a primary school last year. The judges then visited the school, interviewed staff and pupils, watched Julie teach and had a chat with her. At the end of the visit Julie said she was 'drained'.
The judges' citation described Julie as 'a positive whirlwind of activity', whose lessons were 'innovative and creative'.
A teacher for 17 years, Julie has been at St Andrew's for the past four and said that everyone at the school was very talented and they all worked together.
'I am very embarrassed at being singled out. I would much prefer to stay out of the limelight,' said Julie. 'The staff here are excellent, the pupils enthusiastic and the governors very supportive — it is a lovely place to work.'
Julie was selected from hundreds of nominated teachers for the award, which aims to raise the profile of teaching.
The regional award carried a prize of £2,000 for the school and Julie will now go forward to the national finals in London in October, where success would result in a package worth £25,000.