A LOCAL primary school teacher who has kept his pupils entertained during lockdown has been nominated for a Proud of Barnsley award.

Rob Clare, 50, of West Street in Hoyland, has worked at Hoyland Common Primary School for six years.

Whether it be reading to the children over the school’s interactive system throughout the lockdown period, or encouraging them to keep going with their work, Rob has been a model teacher.

He said: “I’ve taught here for around six years now and during lockdown we obviously had to put an emphasis on home and interactive learning and we managed to do that through seesaw.

“The kids are used to hearing my voice everyday so I decided to continue to do that by reading to them over seesaw, and then they can read back to me as well.

“It’s such an important time in a child’s life, especially for year one and year two, when it comes to reading and because of that we’ve put a clear focus on it.”

As a parent, Rob says he understands that lockdown can be frustrating which is why the school have tired so hard to support parents during these unprecedented times.

“I’m a parent myself so I understand how difficult this can be for them so we’re trying our best to support parents and develop good relationships at home,” Rob added.

“I’ve found lockdown difficult as a parent, but as a teacher I’ve definitely found it energising – there’s no putting your feet up and we’re constantly working to help the children when they need it.”

Upon hearing of his nomination in the Children’s Hero category, Rob said: “It’s really lovely to be nominated because this job isn’t something I do for the recognition.

“The parents here are absolutely amazing, they’re so supportive and it’s great to know that they feel the same about us.

“The children always come first so it’s a fantastic surprise.”