UNSUNG HERO AWARD: Going that extra mile for others

And although the teachers themselves are vital, the team of people involved in any enterprise at the top of its game is made up of a wide range of people.

There are likely to be caretakers, cleaners, teaching assistants and meals staff, not to mention the potentially life-saving role of the ‘lollipop’ lady or man.

Members of the School Crossing Patrol Service, as it is officially known, operate at more than 380 sites in Lancashire, where, regardless of the weather, they step out and stop traffic while also keeping the attention of the children until they are crossed safely.

In today’s peak time traffic that’s no mean feat.

At any school that’s really vibrant and buzzing there will also be a team of volunteers who give up their time to help organise, for example, school functions or fund-raising events.

They might be parents of pupils, or former pupils, who pitch in as members of a Parent Teacher Association or learning mentors who ‘provide an additional service to teachers and pastoral staff in schools to help children overcome barriers to learning, both inside and outside the school, and to achieve their full potential’.

Such mentors work closely with teachers, classroom assistants, special needs assistants and classroom volunteers to identify children who are making less progress than their potential, and develop action plans to meet learning goals. They then support the children to help them achieve these goals. There are also school governors, more than 9,000 in the county, who are appointed or elected and work with head teachers to use their life experience and skills to help raise standards, ask questions and ‘act as a critical friend’.

These are examples of some of the dedicated and hardworking people we want you to nominate for a rare place in the spotlight as finalists for the Unsung Hero Award.

1. Nomination forms can be downloaded from www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/education_zone/schools_awards/