Mr Williams was presented with his Gold Award in the ‘Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School’ category during The One Show on BBC1 yesterday.

A spokesman said: “Rob has transformed Malton School during his time as headteacher, with all students excelling both academically and with their extra-curricular activities. Malton is now highly thought of in the local community, with demand for places exceeding availability year on year.

“With Rob at the helm, the school continues to strive for incremental improvement and development, ensuring that staff and students alike are always supported and encouraged to be their best.”

Mr Williams said: “The award is a huge surprise and a massive honour. The process, realising how many people within and connected to our school community have supported my nomination, is very humbling indeed.

“I want to say thank you to all who have helped me along the way; thank you to the whole staff team – this is a very significant tribute to them; and a special thanks to my children and loved ones for tolerating and understanding the additional time I have devoted to trying to help the loved ones of others.

“I want to thank the Pearson National Teaching Awards for running these awards.”

The Mayor of Malton, Councillor Paul Emberley, said: “Rob Williams is an inspirational headteacher at a very fine school.

“The success is not only richly deserved but is an accolade for Malton and the county council as the education authority.

“He inspires the students and I’m sure everyone in Malton and the surrounding area the school serves will feel very proud of his accolade.”

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