MaChemGuy shortlisted for Teacher of the Year award

A local teacher from Hartlepool sixth form has been shortlisted for the Teacher of the Year award at the 2020 Tes FE Awards.

James Donkin has been nationally recognized for his outstanding provision teaching A Level students the complexities of chemistry and also reaching almost 20,000 subscribers around the world through his YouTube channel, MaChemGuy.

The Tes FE Awards recognize outstanding individuals and institutions in the further education sector each year.

James’ passion for chemistry led him to creating videos in 2013 for his A Level chemistry students to use as a resource to support their learning.

Addressing topics that students typically found difficult in innovative ways, this quickly evolved into a YouTube channel, which to date has over 4.3 million views in 129 countries.

James has uploaded over 600 videos to his MaChemGuy channel with 19,800 subscribers, 43,185 likes and thousands of positive comments from all around the world.

Mark Hughes, head of Hartlepool sixth form, said: “We are immensely proud of James and his inspiring teaching methods.

“Being shortlisted for a prestigious national award is well deserved and recognizes the outstanding impact he has on his students at Hartlepool Sixth Form and chemistry students from all over the world.

“He continually pushes the boundaries to improve student outcomes and his passion not only inspires successful results, but chemistry-related career focused destinations.”

Stephen Exley, FE editor at Tes, added: “Excellent practice exists right across the further education sector, and those shortlisted for the Tes FE Awards are the cream of the crop.

“Our judges were extremely impressed with the calibre of entries. To be shortlisted is an extraordinary achievement.”

The Tes gala awards evening will take place at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on March 20 2020, with more than 800 guests from the education sector set to be in attendance.