Who is up for Town Awards?

We will now be profiling all nominees over the coming weeks before our judging panel decides the winners ahead of the presentations at Sleaford Town Hall on April 20.

Kim Duffy is up for the Teacher of the Year Award having worked at Kesteven and Sleaford High School for five years since starting as a newly qualified maths teacher. Her teaching is frequently judged as outstanding, but headteacher, Jo Smith says: “She goes way beyond what’s expected and hoped for of any teacher and yet she does it quietly and without any expectation of recognition. Providing the best opportunities for young people is her driving force.”

Kim said it was nice to feel so appreciated for “just doing her job” and saw it as worthwhile to see the pupils get so much out of it.

She has stepped in for an absent colleague, overseeing the wellbeing of years 7 and 8. She organised a weekend camping trip, delivered team building days and visited many girls in primary schools to help them feel confident about moving up to secondary school. She has given up holidays to help lead the school ski trip and supported students’ fundraising to later accompany them to Zanzibar on their World Challenge expedition. She is also attending a higher level maths course at weekends to improve maths A level tuition.