VOTES ARE OPEN... your chance to choose the Teacher of the Year 2015

Pupils and parents have shared many wonderful and fantastic reasons why their favourite teacher should win, but now it’s over you.

We are asking you to read through the profiles of our 30 nominated teachers and vote for the one that you feel is most deserving.

The winning teacher will enjoy an all inclusive holiday at the Hilton Taba Resort, Egypt plus £500 towards flights. They will be able to take in breathtaking Red Sea views from the Hilton Taba Resort & Nelson Village.

The hotel boasts a unique position just 10 kilometres from Eilat, overlooking three countries — Jordan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

Wander down the golden sands of the private beach or get active at the Aqua Sports Center offering fun activities like water-skiing and sailing.

With opportunities to explore the pristine coral reefs on a scuba dive, take a snorkelling excursion or simply relax at the pool complex with a fruity cocktail from Pirates Bar.

Simply follow the instructions to place your vote.

The winner will be announced in-paper on July 24, 2015.

By Phone: Call 0901 221 adding the four digits under the teacher of your choice. For example if it was teacher 0380 you would like to vote for simply dial 0901 221 0380.

By Text: Send your text to 80360 starting with TEACHER leave a space, followed by the four digits under the teacher of your choice.

Calls cost no more than 26p per call plus your phone company’s access charge. Texts cost 25p plus your normal operator text charge. Telephone and text lines open 20/07/2015 and close 22/07/2015 at 23:59:59PM. Call 0207 998 0549 for help and advice on phone and mobile services.

Terms and Conditions

 This promotion is open to nominations for teachers teaching at a school in the Swindon Advertiser circulation area.

 The prize is a week’s all inclusive holiday at the Hilton Taba Resort, Egypt plus £500 towards flights.

 The teacher with the most votes will be the winner.

 For full terms and conditions visit www.newsquest.co.uk/terms.

 The closing date for votes is Wednesday, July 22, 2015.

MRS ALI SUTCLIFFE The Commonweal School Nominated by: her class “Nice Teacher. Lessons are fun, good performing arts. Nice and a good teacher. Mrs Sutcliffe arranges many opportunities for me and my school. Great performing arts class. Makes classes feel safe and confident to perform.” VOTE: 0221

MR GARY NASH The Commonweal School Nominated by: his class “He teaches an important lesson and makes it fun. He allowed me to get my bronze award. He makes all lessons fun. He is fun, exciting and great, down with the kids and he is a lad. Mr Nash is funny, laid back and is very down with the kids. He is a lad.”VOTE: 0222

MR JAMES STEWART Nova Hreod Academy Nominated by: Jesy-Louise “I would like to nominate Mr Stewart, my English teacher, because he helped me gain the confidence to be able to move schools due to bullying. Mr Stewart has done so much for our class. We nominate him because he is funny, caring, polite and gracious. VOTE: 0223

MR FINNEY Kingsdown School Nominated by: Aaron Marchant “Mr Finney is a kind, hard-working, outstanding teacher of history. He brings the subject to life and will always go the extra mile – he’s marked at least 50 exam questions I wrote! He never gives up on a student and is always there for advice or help. He’s a legend.” VOTE: 0224

MR DAVIES Kingsdown School Nominated by: Liam Hartley “Mr Davies is a fantastic teacher with a very funny personality. If I’m ever down he would come over and cheer me up. Mr Davies is the best tutor I could possibly have and he is the reason I have progressed in my time at Kingsdown.” VOTE: 0225

HANNAH TOWNSEND Kingsdown School Nominated by: Alison Evans “She is thought of very highly. Some recent quotes from students include: “Amongst the best in the country”, “Tireless determination to make sure every child is given a chance to succeed”, “Amazing, kind, outstanding”, “Very Special”. “Can’t thank her enough” VOTE: 0226

NEIL WITHERS Kingsdown School Nominated by: Steve Lowe Neil is an ex student, I taught him when he attended as a student and now have the privilege of working with him as a colleague. An incredibly conscientious teacher, Neil is hard working and goes beyond the responsibilities of a teacher every day. Teaching isn’t a job to him, it is a vocation. VOTE: 0227

MR LIAM STACEY The Commonweal School Nominated by: his class “He is always a positive teacher and will never let you give up. Also he is very down with the kids. And his part time job is a wrestler.” VOTE: 0228

LOU TOLLEY Crowdys Hill Nominated by: Dave Howells “Lou goes above and beyond the call of duty as a teaching assistant at Crowdys. Nothing is too much trouble for her charges, both inside and out of school. A single parent herself she gives her spare precious time freely for no extra pay even though her salary is minimal.” VOTE: 0229

MISS LUCY ROE Isambard Community School Nominated by: Callum Self “I think Miss Roe should be the teacher of the year because she always plans good lessons and never leaves them until the last minute. She always helps us to get the best levels we need. Also Miss Roe makes all the lessons as fun as possible.” VOTE: 0230

MISS MARIA BROWN Covingham Park Primary School Nominated by: Kiera Wise “Miss Brown has so many excellent qualities. These are the things that make her a great teacher. She inspires us every day, she always makes me happy. Everyone looks up to Miss Brown and it’s because she’s so tall, it’s because she is the best teacher in Swindon VOTE: 0231

MISS GUNNING Covingham Park Primary School Nominated by: Alisha Perkins “Miss Gunning is totally awesome. She is amazing, funny and totally mad. She makes us laugh, with her singing and dancing around the classroom. She is an ace teacher all the time and makes learning loads of fun.” VOTE: 0232

MRS SOWDEN Nythe Primary School Nominated by: Nicola Wright “Mrs Sowden has dedicated many hours of her own time helping her class prepare for their many SATs. She is enthusiastic, committed, supportive and encouraging. She also organised a fun day to end SATs week and even joined the water fight. “ VOTE: 0233

MR CHRISTOPHER FOX Mountford Manor Nominated by: Mrs K E Gillespie, Jan Jelley and Mr R Gillespie “He is a dedicated teacher. He puts every effort in to bring out the best in all his pupils, and they all respond to him. I think the best way to describe is like a modern Mr Chips. He gives his students a sense of pride in themselves and self worth.” VOTE: 0234

MR JON OLIVER UTC Swindon Nominated by: Chris Anthlakis “Best geography teacher ever. He is an organised leader, inspirational, very committed and an encouraging role model. Facing the challenges of a new school he remains supportive, brings students together as a family and deserves to be recognised.” VOTE: 0235

MR WALTERS Westrop Primary Nominated by: Ruby Gill “Mr Walters is the best teacher ever because nothing is ever too much trouble. He is funny, kind and makes my day enjoyable. He knows how to get the best from his pupils and is always there to help. He has helped me so much this year.” VOTE: 0236

MRS SIOBHAN RENSREY Longcot and Fernham Primary School Nominated by: Year 6 Children “We love Mrs Rensrey because she is somebody that we can talk to whenever we want and she will listen, she makes us all feel like a family. She takes lessons at everyone’s pace and explains everything we find hard. That’s why we love her. VOTE: 0237

MRS ROSSITA STANEVA The Commonweal School Nominated by: her class “Her maths lessons are always fun.” VOTE: 0238

MISS SAM DARE The Commonweal School Nominated by: her class “Because she is good at technology. She can do all sorts of things on a computer. She is always smiling and also very funny.” VOTE: 0239

MISS ZOE O’BRIEN St Marys RC Primary School Nominated by: Amelia Belsher “I would like to nominate Miss O’Brien because she is kind and inspiring. She has helped to build my confidence in lessons. She has put lots (millions) of hard work into making my class very happy. She has inspired me to become a teacher. She is so amazing. VOTE: 0240

MRS WILSON Wroughton Junior School Nominated by: James Gardener “Mrs Wilson is a fantastic choir leader who has enabled the school choir to sing in the parish church and the Swindon schools junior music festival. She is also an excellent learning mentor, giving support to the children that need the extra help with their learning.” VOTE: 0211

MRS OAKES Purton St Mary’s Nominated by: Sandy Jonsson “My ‘special needs’ son has the quality of his schooling enhanced by Mrs Oakes’ determination to increase awareness within the school regarding what is needed to give all children a level playing field, and she personally insisted on equality when it had previously been missing from our lives.” VOTE: 0212

MR MOBEY Brookfield Primary School Nominated by: Emma Toft “Mr Mobey is very, very good because he makes learning so much fun and whenever you’re stuck he helps you to get on track. Also Mr Mobey never shouts - he just claps his hands or he puts up another noise chart.” VOTE: 0213

MR LEE Holy Family Catholic Primary Nominated by: Fionnvala Dunn “He is fun and does good dancing.” VOTE: 0214

MRS COX Wroughton Junior School Nominated by: James Gardener “Mrs Cox is a totally brilliant headteacher! She is kind and interested in all the pupils and has created opportunities for fun and creative learning. The school is run well and an enjoyable place to be. She will be very much missed when she leaves this summer.” VOTE: 0215

MISS VICTORIA REYNOLDS Oliver Tomkins C.E Infant School Nominated by: Grace Skull “I like that she makes us laugh and she plays games and does choir. Miss Reynolds dresses nice and always looks pretty. She is caring and looked after my best friend, Lily, when she broke her wrist. She always lets us have golden time.” VOTE: 0216

MISS KERSHAW Gorse Hill Primary School Nominated by: Jack Watts “Miss Kershaw has always been there for me, has always had a smile and encouragement. She encouraged me with my swimming and rugby, she encouraged me to do other things like being a DJ. She supported me when I wanted to go PGL on the IoW.” VOTE: 0217

MISS GALLEOZZIE Highworth Warnerford School Nominated by: Mrs Pip Booth “My son’s English teacher has worked hard in supporting him with his GCSE exam. She always returns phone calls and emails, is always available for revision sessions out of school time and is so friendly and polite. Her help is genuinely appreciated.” VOTE: 0218

LORRAINE JENNATE BLOOR Drove Primary School Nominated by: Sophie Bloor “Mrs Bloor is the perfect teacher. She is excellent at reading in different voices, good at making cakes, perfect at solving any types of problems and she listens well. She fixes our cuts and heals our grazes. she is just like Miss Honey from Matilda but she just has a different name.” VOTE: 0219

MR WOOD Wroughton Junior School Nominated by: James Gardener “Mr Wood is a dedicated class teacher who makes lessons fun and enjoyable for his pupils. He also runs the football club and school team – who won a schools' competition this term.” VOTE: 0220