A British teacher who entered the profession “by accident” has been named as a top 10 finalist for the $1 million Global Teacher Prize.

The finalists have all been congratulated by Prince Harry, who has hailed the “vital role” that teachers play as role models (see video, below).

Raymond Chambers, a computer science teacher at Brooke Weston Academy in Corby, Northamptonshire, is through to the last stage of the prize, which is provided by the Varkey Foundation.

The top 10 has been narrowed down from 20,000 nominations and applications from 179 countries around the world, with the winner to be announced next month at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

Mr Chambers only entered teaching after a last-minute change to his degree placement, studying computer science at De Montfort University, meant he ended up working in a school. He discovered that he loved it and has never looked back.

He started developing new software for learning using Microsoft Kinect, which led to a blog and then a YouTube education channel that has had more than 250,000 views.

Mr Chambers helped the government draw up its secondary computing quick-start guide for teachers, and the BBC asked him to contribute to its resources for Microbit - the pocket-sized, codeable computer which has been given to children across the country.

He took his pupils to second place at a European coding competition, and won the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert award in 2013-14 and a UK national teaching award for innovative use of technology in 2015.

‘You don’t expect this level of recognition’

Mr Chambers told TES that he was “speechless” about his shortlisting.

“You do the job and you don’t expect that level of recognition,” he said.

In a special message to the finalists, Prince Harry said he wanted to “highlight the vital role teachers play as our role models”.

“In addition to reading, writing and arithmetic, the very best teachers go beyond the pages of textbooks to teach young people about determination, aspiration, resilience and compassion,” he said.

“We will all face setbacks and challenges in our lives and our teachers play a vital role in preparing us for these ups and downs.

“I’m sure everyone can remember the teachers who did the same for us and those who helped us through our formative years - I can certainly pinpoint those who had an impact on my life.

“The finalists for this year’s Global Teacher Prize are from every corner of the world - from the Canadian Arctic to Kenya and Pakistan. But there’s one thing they all have in common - they spark curiosity within a child and nurture the dreams that can change our world for the better. ” 

Congratulating the finalists, he added: “You’re all winners in my book, and more importantly your students’ books.”

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, said: “I want to congratulate Raymond Chambers for being selected as a top 10 finalist from such a huge number of talented and dedicated teachers.

“I hope his story will inspire those looking to enter the teaching profession and also shine a powerful spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the UK and throughout the world every day.”

The other nine finalists for the 2017 Global Teacher Prize are:

• Salima Begum, headteacher at Elementary College for Women, Gilgit, Pakistan
• David Calle, from Madrid, Spain, the founder and creator of the Unicoos educational website
• Wemerson da Silva Nogueira, a science teacher at the Escola Antônio dos Santos Neves in Boa Esperança, Brazil
• Marie-Christine Ghanbari Jahromi, a physical education, maths and German teacher at Gesamtschule Gescher school, Gescher, Germany
• Tracy-Ann Hall, an automotive technology teacher at Jonathan Grant High School in Spanish Town, Jamaica
• Maggie MacDonnell, a teacher at Ikusik School, Kativik School Board, Canadian Arctic
• Ken Silburn, a science teacher at Casula High School, Sydney, Australia
• Yang Boya, a psychology teacher at The Affiliated Middle School of Kunming Teachers’ College, China
• Michael Wamaya, a dance teacher from Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya
  
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