He also won the Nothing is Impossible award and the Education award for his work in turning around the failing West Heath junior school in Birmingham. “Winning awards like this is great,” said Mr Sahota. “But what really matters is the children.”

In the three years that he has been head at the school, the proportion of children reachig Level 4 in national curriculum tests has improved by about a sixth.

The Public Servants of the Year Awards are a new award ceremony designed to reward the achievements of public servants.

The other winner to come from the education sector was Ronnie Storey, a school cleaner at Ushaw Moor junior school in County Durham. Mr Storey was shocked to hear he had won the Raising the Standard award for his contribution to education services at the school.