SHORTLIST: Secondary Teacher of the Year

BEN MCGREGOR - BINGLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Ben McGregor has been teaching for 13 years at Bingley Grammar School.

Last February half-term he visited their partner African school in Kenya, some of whose pupils live in extreme poverty and come from Kibera - one of the world's largest slums.

The trend had been noticed last June when Jamal Parapia, director of modern foreign languages at Bingley Grammar, visited Jamhuri High to forge a successful link between the schools.

Ben said: "On his return from Africa last summer, Mr Parapia met with me, explaining that he was really keen to set up a sporting link there. "We are currently fund-raising to provide a kit for them. Also, we are setting up a programme at our school where students will donate their old boots to Jamhuri."

One parent said: "Mr McGregor is both my son’s form teacher and PE teacher. My son entered Bingley Grammar school Sept 2013 knowing not one other child. Ben, from day one, made him and myself really at ease – sharing his email address with us on the open day. His nurturing and enthusiasm has harnessed the very best out of my son who is performing confidently in all areas of the curriculum at Bingley. Mr McGregor epitomises the essence of Bingley grammar – readily available, always positive and genuinely bothered about my son."

EMILY HEATH - DIXONS CITY ACADEMY

Emily Heath is nominated for the Secondary Teacher of the Year award by her pupils at Dixons City Academy.

One of her nominations reads: "Miss Heath is very supportive and helpful with school work and non-related school issues.

"She makes going to school enjoyable and always has a smile for everyone.

"Miss Heath is kind to everyone and make the classroom a comfortable place to learn. She is always available to help students even in her break and lunch times.

"She is very easy to talk to if you have any worries. She had been my form tutor for two-and-a-half years so far and never loses her smile."

Principal Shirley Watson says of the school: "Dixons City Academy is a centre of educational excellence serving the whole community of Bradford. Our students meet and work together in a well-ordered, harmonious and happy community drawn from all cultures and backgrounds across the city. We believe that our students have a key role to play in the economic development and social regeneration of our city in the next decade and beyond."

NICOLA CHANTRY AND HELEN HAWKRIDGE - IMMANUEL COLLEGE

Following in the footsteps of last years Secondary Teacher of the Year winner are Nicola Chantry and Helen Hawkridge, a joint nomination from Immanual College.

Their nomination reads: "When Tracey Askham tragically and suddenly passed away she was in the middle of organising a charity expedition for some of our students to go out to Ecuador to volunteer in the communities out there. The students had started a mammoth fund raising task and were on the way to raising the money required for the trip. The company organising the trip could not refund any of the funds raised, and so we had to find two members of staff to step into the breach.

"Nicola and Helen, both relatively new to school, took on the task with great enthusiasm and vowed to complete the fundraising that Tracey had set in motion. They organised many fundraising events and were on hand to mentor the students and keep them focused on the task at hand when spirits flagged. When all the funds were successfully raised they also supervised the trip, giving up three weeks of precious summer holiday to accompany the students and get stuck into the charitable works they were doing out in Ecuador.

"These two members of staff went above and beyond the call of duty to fulfill a legacy left by a tremendous woman, shoes that would not be easy to fill. We are very proud of the efforts they made, and the opportunities and experiences this gave some of our students. They have allowed our students to see a world outside their own and have the experience of a lifetime."

Craven College provides further education opportunities for 16 to18 year olds with over 1,500 full time students plus over 700 apprenticeship opportunities across a wide range of skills and occupations.

Based in Skipton with an additional Travel & Aviation Academy at Leeds Bradford International Airport, the College is extremely proud of its apprenticeship provision which has outstanding success rates.

The latest national data shows Craven College to be in the top ten of 236 college providers nationally.

Student success for full-time provision at the College consistently performs above the national average. Demand has grown for progression onto full and part-time degree level study at Craven College due to small class sizes, flexible timetables and high quality tuition.

Craven College continues to develop its resources to meet the needs of students. Summer 2015 will see the opening of a brand new £6.2m building on the Aireville Campus, Skipton, with facilities and workshops for the construction trades.

A total refurbishment of the campus's Whernside building will bring together central services, including a Learning Resources Centre, Student Support Services, Enterprise Zone, shop and social area.

2012 saw a £750,000 redevelopment of the High Street Campus to provide a state of the art production kitchen for the hospitality and catering students and the relocation of the Academy of Hair & Beauty into new and spacious salons.

The College’s vision remains “enriching lives through learning” and the College does this by providing a supportive environment in which all students can learn and develop and achieve their potential.