Rich reward for resourceful Paul

As a thank you for helping thousands of teachers throughout the country, Edge Hill University postgraduate student Paul McEvoy recently received a very special invitation to one of education's biggest events.

Paul, who is in the first year of his MTL Masters in Teaching and Learning, was invited to the Times Education Supplement's School Awards, or ‘TESSAs' in recognition for his ongoing contribution to their website.  

"For about two years I had been downloading materials from the TES Resources website," Paul says. "Supplementary learning is a big part of my teaching style and I often produce worksheets to enhance the experience of my pupils. From the wealth of information I had independently created I felt that I could help other teachers, so last year decided to create a profile on the website and upload a couple of examples."  

After a month Paul's profile had reached almost 2,000 downloads, "I couldn't believe it! It was a great feeling knowing that my resources where influencing teaching and learning in many classrooms, and so it gave me the motivation to upload more," adds Paul.  

In the seven months that followed Paul received nearly 20,000 downloads along with lots of positive feedback. "I now feel it is my duty to continue uploading resources and support teachers across the country".  

The incredible popularity of Paul's work had not gone unnoticed at TES headquarters either, and Resources Editor Gerard Kelly was so impressed by his dedication that he personally invited Paul to the prestigious TESSA awards ceremony in London to show his appreciation.  

Paul was delighted to be in the company of fellow professionals who were also being recognised for achievements in education. "The whole event was extremely inspiring and provided me with a great opportunity to see the outstanding work that teachers, leadership teams and schools had done as well as to share my experiences with them. One music teacher had beat-boxed for P Diddy and a drama teacher had taught Leona Lewis!"  

"Talking to such a variety of teachers has given me motivation as well as some great ideas to take back to school. Being able to see some of the best practice methods in the country has opened my eyes to the possibilities of what can be achieved and has helped to broaden my horizons in a really positive way," Paul concludes.  

Paul's TES Resources pages, which assist teaching and learning in PE can be found at www.tes.co.uk/MyPublicProfile.aspx?uc=1526646&event=21 with a Twitter account, twitter.com/MrMacPE now also established to support the demand.