An Ashford teacher recruitment firm is backing the primary category in the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards – because the good work they do can influence the rest of your life.

“A good teacher can be so important in developing and moulding the person you become,” said Leah Macdonald, primary education consultant at Three Rs Teacher Recruitment.

“It’s great to see that recognised. I remember two of my primary teachers and the influence they had on my life to this day.”

Those two teachers were Mrs Bingham and Mrs Ruck, who shared Leah’s class when she was a pupil at Beaver Green Infant School in Ashford.

“Those two teachers brought out the best in me. I was a nervous child, and they made me feel so confident and comfortable,” she recalled.

“They were both in charge of the netball team, and I’m still playing netball now at the age of 32 after they introduced me to it."

The Kent Teacher of the Year Awards are open to nominations for anyone who does paid or unpaid work in a school in Kent, Bromley or Bexley – including teachers, further education lecturers, volunteers, governors, and non-teaching staff.

Nominations can be made for several people or even a whole team together but must be received by the deadline of Thursday, March 1. The winners will be invited to a prestigious awards ceremony and dinner at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone in May.

Leah, who is on the awards’ judging panel, said she is looking forward to the event, adding: “Every year the volume of quality entries gets harder and harder to judge.”

Organised by the KM Charity Team, the awards are supported by Kent County Council, the University of Kent, Kent Sport, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Greenwich, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, MY Trust, Social Enterprise Kent, Beanstalk, CXK, Salus, LoopCR, Kreston Reeves, Kent Further Education, and Diggerland.

For more information, or to make a nomination, visit www.kentteacheroftheyear.co.uk.