Chris Hill A headteacher's assistant in Wells has won national plaudits for her unsung work as a high school superhero.Kim Annison, from Alderman Peel High School, has made the final of the fourth annual SecEd Headteacher's PA of the Year awards, to be held next Friday in London.

Chris Hill

A headteacher's assistant in Wells has won national plaudits for her unsung work as a high school superhero.

Kim Annison, from Alderman Peel High School, has made the final of the fourth annual SecEd Headteacher's PA of the Year awards, to be held next Friday in London.

Hailed by her headteacher Jon Platten as “bionic and telepathic”, she beat off competition from hundreds of other nominees to become one of the 30 finalists from across the UK.

The awards were set up by educational newspaper SecEd to recognise the often-overlooked contributions of PAs in the day-to-day running of schools.

Mrs Annison said: “I feel absolutely thrilled and honoured to be thought of in this way by my colleagues. I am quite nervous about it but what I am looking forward to most is hearing the testimonies of everyone else nominated there, and aspire to try that little bit harder.”

Mrs Annison, 45, said she had gained valuable experience in her previous job on the London Underground, where she held a variety of administrative positions before moving to Norfolk with her husband Terry and daughter Chloe, 13.

Mr Platten, who nominated Mrs Annison for the award, said: “She always seems to know where I am, and she consistently shows initiative.

“In schools you can sometimes have heated situations and she always manages to defray them in her calm and unflappable manner. In that sense, she is not like me at all. Her other key feature is that in her two years here I have never heard her moan or complain.”

Every PA in the final will be awarded with a certificate recognising them as a PA of the Year, while six Highly Commended awards will also be handed out. The top three will be recognised with Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.