Lifetime Achievement Award - Yolanda Bull, Cantell School

Yolanda Bull said: "I’ve been working at Cantell School for 21 years since qualifying as a teacher in 1996; I was also a student at the school in the school’s previous incarnation as Glen Eyre School.

"I wasn’t a very good student and didn’t attain many qualifications – since then I worked very hard to turn things around, I’m proof that it’s never too late to effect real change for yourself, but things would probably have been easier if I had got it right in the first place!

"I love the variety and diversity at Cantell, It’s a real privilege to teach in a school that has such a range of cultures and ethnic mix and I have learned so much from my students and colleagues. I have found this so inspirational that I am off to India soon to see one of those cultures at first hand.

"There’s a very special moment for an art teacher, when you teach a student how to draw something and then show them the art work they have made, by holding the work up so that they can see it from a distance; the expression of pride and astonishment on their face when they see what they have achieved is a priceless gift for me.

"The main challenge for me – as for many teachers – is Government changes to education. My results are good but sometimes I feel that there is a danger of losing the joy of art as schools become more and more results driven."