I am overwhelmed to have received this honour. It was totally unexpected and I am humbled that the colleagues who nominated me felt  that  I deserved such a prestigious award. This is my 36th year at Bishop Barrington and  I have seen it go from strength to strength  in so many ways but particularly in our drive to secure the very best of life chances for our pupils.

I am proud that our pupils do well but also that we have such a lovely, happy school, with a strong family ethos .  All of our staff are  passionate about teaching, care and support. They feel blessed in their roles, particularly in terms of helping to shape pupils' future lives. The award also recognises our school's outstanding contribution to the community. In many ways, our school is  a community hub, with its flourishing  sports centre, our Elite Sports Academy, and our Bishop Auckland Youth Theatre.

We take a special  pride in our community outreach work, for example in our annual hosting of our Senior Citizens Christmas  Lunch, our young people's  visits to Butterwick Hospice and our fundraising for a raft of national and international charities.

I am proud,  too, that our school has been signposted by the Local Authority to support other schools over the years and I am delighted that I am thoroughly enjoying my current role as  Chair of DASH (Durham Association of Secondary Head Teachers).

It is amazing that I have been awarded this honour, which  I receive  in recognition of the exceptional quality of our  team of staff and governors. It is a testament to  all of their hard work and that of our pupils, as well as paying tribute to the support of parents and carers.