An Ulverston teacher who always went the extra mile to see her pupils achieve has been nominated for a Heart of Ulverston Award.

Nancy Fletcher, 50, of Kendal has worked at the Sir John Barrow School for eight years.

For her years of tireless work and ability to identify children in most need of help, Mrs Fletcher has been nominated for teacher of the year in the 2016 Heart of Ulverston Awards.

After learning she had been nominated, Mrs Fletcher said: "Obviously I'm delighted, but a bit overwhelmed."

She was however quick to pay credit to her colleagues and the collborative spirt at the school.

"Working in a school, it's a team effort. There is nothing I could do without having a big team of people behind me."

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One of the tasks that Mrs Fletcher regards as the most important in her job is making sure that every child gets an equal chance.

Skills such as reading or writing don't always come easy, and it is Mrs Fletcher's job to identify children who need a little extra push.

Speaking about her role, she said: "Basically it's about being able to identify children who aren't making as much progress as they should be, and addressing the problem that they are facing.

"Sometimes they just need more coaching in a particular area.

"You just need to give them a little bit of time by themselves, and then bingo."

Mrs Fletcher has been working at Sir John Barrow for eight years, and was made deputy head in April of last year.

During her 23 year career in education she has always wanted to make sure children could achieve further on in life.

Mrs Fletcher believes that teaching children to be as proficient in reading and writing before they leave primary school pays dividends in later life.

"I feel very strongly that you succeed in life when you can read fluently. You can do well all those things that make up the nuts and bolts of daily life

To make sure that children are in Mrs Fletcher's words "secondary ready" it is important they gain the confidence necessary to step into a bigger world once they leave primary school.

"We want them to be secondary ready, we've done a good job if they are excited to leave."

One of the ways of building up confidence has been involving her pupils in the South Cumbria Music Festival.

Children are invited to take part in singing and other performances during the festival.

Mrs Fletcher is one of the principal organisers begind her school's involvement.

She said: "We look at the children who we think would be confident on stage, who we think could perform for an audience. Our children were so proud."

Click here to nominate someone for a Heart of Ulverston Award. There is still time to get a nomination in for someone you feel does the community proud.

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