Park Hill Junior School in Croydon celebrated the success of teacher Mrs Cathy Hutch after she was awarded a special prize for advancing the teaching of science at primary level.

Mrs Hutch is also the science co-ordinator for Park Hill Junior School as well as teaching pupils aged 10 and 11.

Her reward for being the top science teacher included a giant certificate presented last Thursday (April 10) and £100 to spend on science resources for the school.

The national top teacher award was organised by the Ariel Stains and Science Programme, an education programme for nine to 11-year-olds, aligned with the National Curriculum.

Mrs Hutch said: "I am thrilled to accept this honour on behalf of the school. We are always looking for new ways to enrich the teaching of science in the classroom. Science is exciting and we always have a lot of fun doing experiments.

"The Ariel programme proved a useful and enjoyable means of getting the message across."

The Ariel programme encourages pupils to discover how science affects everyday lives through normal household activities such as washing clothes.