A TRURO headteacher bought in to turn around a failing school has been celebrated tonight after winning the top honour at the 'Oscars' of the teaching world.

Matt Middlemore of Tregolls School received the Gold Plato Award at the Pearson Teaching Awards for Headteacher of the Year in a Primary School in a ceremony which celebrates the crème de la crème of the UK teaching profession.

Mr Middlemore was one of just ten teachers from across the country to win a prestigious Gold Plato Award in front of an audience of hundreds at the Guildhall in London.

Matt was nominated for the accolade by pupils, parents and colleagues from the school. The ceremony was broadcast on BBC2 this evening at 6pm in the show Britain’s Classroom Heroes, where viewers found out more about the inspirational work behind Matt’s award win.

When Matt Middlemore arrived at Tregolls School in 2012 it was in 'special measures'. Attendance was poor and achievement was consistently among the worst in the country. His impact was immediate. Pupils, staff, parents and governors bought into his vision to be the best in the world and within three years 100% of pupils in the Year 6 class achieved level 4 in reading, writing and maths and 100% made at least expected progress.

He did this by creating a thriving learning environment, inspiring teachers to flourish and engaging pupils in curriculum development. The individual success stories across the school are heart-warming and awe-inspiring, but the man who made it all happen – who turned the school from one of the worst into one of the best in next to no time – was Matt Middlemore.

Hosted by the actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, star of ‘Outnumbered’ and ‘Mock the Week’, the ceremony also saw awards handed out across categories such as Excellence in Special Needs Education and Lifetime Achievement.

The Pearson Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers and teaching. Founded in 1999 by Lord Puttnam, they recognise the life-changing impact of an inspirational teacher on the lives of the young people they teach.

Hugh Dennis, host of this year’s BBC Britain’s Classroom Heroes, said: “I am genuinely proud and honoured to be hosting this year’s ceremony. The inspiration and support of my fantastic teachers got me to where I am today, and it’s great to be able to join in and celebrate other teachers’ incredible achievements as well.”

Rod Bristow, President of Pearson UK, said: “A huge congratulations to the 2016 Teaching Award winners. Pearson is so proud to sponsor this celebration - Great teaching makes the biggest difference to a child’s education and it’s incredibly important that we take this moment each year to recognise that".

Parents and students alike can recognise the teachers who are making a difference by visiting www.pearsonteachingawards.com/ to thank a teacher. Doing so means they will be in with a chance of winning at next year’s ceremony.