SHIRLEY Bond, teacher at Stratton School, is our latest nominee for Teacher of the Year.

Mrs Bond, from Cirencester, has been teaching at Stratton School for the past 20 years and has been a qualified teacher for over 30 years.

Previously, she has worked in various other schools around Cirencester: Deer Park, Chesterton, Watermoor, Siddington, Kemble and Powell’s.

Mrs Bond, who works part-time as a sports coordinator and special needs coordinator and who will be retiring this summer, said: “I am often teaching the children of children I have taught. It’s good because I immediately get a relationship with the family, which is crucial in helping the child.

“I want to educate the whole child, to raise their self esteem so they can achieve more.

“I have always believed that the key to teaching should be the child and if you show warmth and care you will usually have that their trust and attention and then can teach them.

"Identifying children’s needs whether they are educational, emotional, physical or behavioural is the key to making their learning more accessible and possible for them.

"How children learn has always interested me and I have studied courses to enable me to help unlock the key to children’s learning.

"Reading, phonics and writing has always been high my agenda and I love teaching these areas and when you see the 'lightbulb' moment it is wonderful."

Mrs Bond, said of the importance of sport: “I put a really high value on determination and sport values.

“Sport is absolutely crucial. Children that perhaps struggle often can feel so much more positive about themselves. They feel energised. It’s a vehicle to greater learning.

“There is also that determination to be better than you are."

Speaking of her own passion for sport, she said: “I have always loved swimming and watersports: canoeing and windsurfing. It's about the fun, the achievement and the friendships that you make."

She said of her decision to go into teaching: “I was inspired by teachers who still live locally. They were caring people who went that extra mile for people and they influenced me greatly."

Mrs Bond has been involved with the district athletics events for 39 years, usually judging long jump.

She also organises and helps run many of the local school sports competitions, and enters her students for nearly every sports event in the local area.

The deadline for our competition is Saturday, May 7.

You can still nominate your favourite teacher by filling in a form in our print edition and posting it to Teacher of the Year, Wilts & Glos Standard, 74 Dyer Street, Cirencester, GL7 2PW.

Find out more.