A THURROCK headteacher has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

John Bryant, headteacher at Arthur Bugler Primary School in Stanford-le-Hope, is in the running to win Pearson National Teaching Award for Headteacher of the Year category.

Selected from thousands of nominations, Mr Bryant is one of 87 extraordinary shortlisted nominees from lecturers, school staff and schools who have been entered for the prestigious Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Mr Bryant is in the running to be one of the Silver Award winners. These will then compete to win one of just 14 Gold Awards which will be announced at the televised UK ceremony later in the year, broadcast on the BBC as 'Britain's Classroom Heroes'.

His nomination says: "He was nominated for a Silver Award for leading with grit and determination to amalgamate two schools, and fostering an environment where positivity pulses along the corridors. His relentless generosity and determination has built a school that is truly part of the community."

The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, founded in 1998 by Lord David Puttnam to recognise the life-changing impact an inspirational teacher can have on the lives of the young people they teach.