A TEACHER known for his rapping maths lessons is in line for a national award.
Rawthorpe High School’s Jonathan Heeley will find out on Sunday, October 21, if he is the national teacher of the year in a secondary school.
On Monday night Jonathan, who has worked at the school since 2002 was named as the Examiner’s Teacher of the Year in the Community Awards at the Galpharm Stadium.
More than 2,000 people will be at the London Palladium for the Teaching Awards ceremony, which celebrates the exceptional achievements of those who inspire young people to achieve their best.
The BBCs Jeremy Vine and former X-Factor presenter Kate Thornton will host the event, which will be screened on BBC2.
They will be joined by the Education Secretary Ed Balls, celebrities, educationalists and schoolchildren.
Jonathan was promoted to head of maths within an hour of walking through the door at the school five years ago.
Since then the school – which was then in special measures – has since become a thriving, achieving school community and seen the average pass rate in maths exams rise from 10% to 48%.
Jonathan’s unique style, which has made pupils dub him MC Protractor, caught judges’ eyes earlier this year when he gained the North of England title.
The judges said: “He delivers his lessons at a cracking pace. The eagerness with which children compete to answer his questions or work out equations on the whiteboard is a joy to watch.”
Jonathan said the key to classroom success was spontaneity and keeping things moving. Getting pupils to believe they were clever and can do maths was the main thing, he added.
The chairman of the Teaching Awards, Lord Puttnam, said: “The work of teachers has unique outcomes on the health, wealth and welfare of every single person in this country. As a nation we should be fantastically proud of them.”
