Andria Zafirakou named as top 10 finalist for million-dollar Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize

A British teacher who has gone “the extra mile” to protect pupils from gang violence has been named as a top 10 finalist for one of the world’s top teaching awards.

Andria Zafirakou, a teacher at Alperton Community School in Wembley, north-west London, is through to the last stage of the million-dollar Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize.

The arts and textiles teacher has helped vulnerable pupils to stay out of danger by escorting them home, visiting their families, and setting up clubs and societies to keep them off the streets. Gangs regularly target the secondary school, which is in one of the poorest areas of the country, to recruit pupils – but the school does everything it can to keep them safe, Ms Zafirakou said.

“It is quite a normal thing for us now. We can see it quite easily and we just go and deal with it,” she told The Independent. “The most important thing is our kids’ safety.”

Ms Zafirakou, who is also associate deputy headteacher at the school, has helped to organise additional provision – like revision classes and homework groups – during weekends and in school holidays to give students a safe and quiet place to work.

She said: “By getting pupils to open up about their home lives, I discovered that many of my students come from crowded homes where multiple families share a single property. In fact, it’s often so crowded and noisy I’ve had students tell me they have to do their homework in the bathroom, just to grab a few moments alone so they can concentrate.”

Ms Zafirakou added: “If the children could be at school at 6am they would. It is a safe place to be.”

And since starting at the school – which has a very high proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) – more than a decade ago, Ms Zafirakou has learnt how to say basic greetings in many of the 35 languages spoken at the school to help parents feel included.

She said that greeting someone in their language “helps to break down barriers and enables families to engage more in the school community”.

It is her dedication to the school which has been highlighted by colleagues and pupils in the video launched for the Global Teacher Prize. Gerard McKenna, headteacher of Alperton Community School, said: “She will go the extra mile outside of school, helping students in the streets, on the way home. With the community she will do whatever she can to help.”

Ms Zafirakou said: “My husband and children would say that my working day doesn’t finish at all. But you don’t come into teaching if you want to do a 9 to 5 day. You do it because it’s in your blood. I have always known this is what I wanted to do with my life. It is almost like a hobby for me.”

The other finalists, drawn from 30,000 entries from 173 countries, are from Turkey, South Africa, Colombia, Philippines, United States, Brazil, Belgium, Australia and Norway.

The top 10 have all been congratulated by Bill Gates who said that a great teacher can be “the most important factor” in whether students get a great education.

In a video message released today, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist said: “When you think about what drives progress and improvement in the world, education is like a master switch – one that opens up all sorts of opportunities for individuals and societies. And research has shown that having a great teacher can be the most important factor that determines whether students get a great education”

Ms Zafirakou added: “It is a very surreal moment in my life having Bill Gates say I am in the top 10.”

The winner will be announced next month at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.