DESPITE only joining in January, Year 5 and 6 teacher Paul Beech has quickly become a popular figure at Amberley Parochial School.

SNJ reporter Saul Cooke-Black spoke to the dad of four, who has been nominated in our Teacher of the Year competition.

It is sometimes said that teachers have an easy life, but speak to Mr Beech and you will quickly find out that this is a myth.

Living in Newent, Mr Beech, aged 40, leaves his home at 6am every morning, works a full school day and then does around another 3 to three and a half hours marking and planning lessons in the evening.

He estimates that he works around 85 hours every week.

But ask staff and pupils at the school surrounded by National Trust common land, and they will tell you that the work is paying off.

Specialising in maths but teaching a range of subjects, Mr Beech is keen for pupils to challenge themselves and take charge of their learning.

"Sometimes high achieving pupils tend to be challenged and low-achieving students are given support," said Mr Beech, who previously taught at Grange Primary School in Tuffley for 18 years.

"My philosophy is that every child needs challenging and every child needs support.

"I am keen for the pupils to be challenging themselves against their own records rather than against each other.

"There is no other job in the world you can have so many children feel proud of what they've done in so many different things every day.

"The moment that a child gets it, that lightbulb moment, it is priceless."

Pupils in Mr Beech's classes can choose how far they want to challenge themselves with hot, spicy and mild activities.

Students can also let Mr Beech know if they need extra help with a particular subject by placing a post-it note on a display board in the classroom.

House points are also given out to students who meet their personal targets.

Mr Beech has already been busy organising trips, leading a survival day at the Grange in Tuffley where pupils learned about making fires and shelters in the outdoor playground.

A teacher all of his life, he has seen a lot of changes since he started out, and since his dad, Derrick, was a secondary school maths teacher.

Despite his dad trying to persuade him not to become a teacher, Mr Beech could not stay away from the profession.

He completed a BEd specialising in maths at Bangor University where he met his wife Sharon, also a primary school teacher.

"There are a lot more demands since I started," added Mr Beech.

"But ultimately when you are in the classroom it is about helping every child learn every single day and that never changes.

"Everybody here has been so welcoming.

"The parents are supportive, the staff are great and the pupils are wonderful to teach."