THE hard work and dedication of a teacher from Salisbury has been recognised with a top award.

Paul Daniel, who manages and teaches students in the learning support unit at Queen Mary's College, in Basingstoke, has received the Award for Excellence in Special Needs Teaching for the south in the prestigious Teaching Awards.

Mr Daniel (45), who lives in London Road, Salisbury, and has worked at QMC for more than five years, said: "It was really inspiring. People were acknowledging the work that we do in schools and colleges in a very public and articulate way.

"Often teachers are just bashed for things that go wrong, so it was really nice to see the public services being championed in that way."

He said the award would mean a lot to the support unit. "It's like a badge of excellence and, especially in terms of recruiting potential students, it could be quite powerful."

His wife, Jane, attended the presentation ceremony in Winchester last Thursday (June 24), along with QMC principal Stephen Sheedy and parent Mo Rowe, who nominated Mr Daniel.

Mr Sheedy said: "I am delighted. Paul really deserved it.

"The people who received awards were all really inspiring teachers, and for us to have Paul in that group of people is fantastic."

Mrs Rowe, who put forward Mr Daniel's name after reading about the awards in a newspaper last November, said: "My daughter Lauren was a student in the unit for four years and we saw her blossom from day one. Their excellent work has opened up her life. I am thrilled Paul won the award."

Mr Daniel's success means the college will now benefit from a £2,000 cash grant and £1,000 worth of ICT equipment.

He has also been invited to the national awards ceremony in October.

The awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity, and are sponsored by major firms such as BT, The Guardian newspaper and the Teacher Training Agency.

Mr Daniel was previously a lecturer at Salisbury College for two years and before that taught at Eastleigh College. He and his wife have four children, Jack, Edwin, Harry and George.