A NURSERY nurse from Barry has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Pearson National Teaching Awards a year after winning as part of the Outstanding Teaching Team of The Year.

Mrs Kay Rawlinson, who also featured on the BBC2 programme Britain's Classroom Heroes, famously announced on television that she would get a tattoo of the Teaching Awards logo if they won.

After winning the award she kept her promise and had a tattoo placed on her right shoulder

Kay Rawlinson, who was brought up in Woodlands Road in Barry and attended Gladstone Rd School then Barry Grammar School for Girls, has been working at Cogan Nursery School in Penarth for over 15 years.

The staff at the school held a celebratory presentation on Friday morning, May 16, with all of the morning children present to sing and clap her when she received her certificate and beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Kay said said she was delighted to receive the award: “Last year when we won the National teaching Award I had a tattoo designed of Plato to replicate the physical gold award we won, but I won’t be getting another tattoo this year! Thank you to all of the parents and colleagues who nominated me for this award, I feel privileged every day to be doing a job that changes people’s lives.”

The Pearson Teaching Awards are an annual celebration of exceptional teachers and teaching. The 2014 awards attracted over 24,000 nominations from schools across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.