Teacher deemed 'lucky to be alive' after being hit by car nominated for Teacher of the Year

Mr Sam, who teaches at Twickenham Primary Academy was tragically hit by a car over the half term holiday. The car threw him 6ft in the air and left him with a broken back and ribs. He is currently unable to work and has been told he will need rehabilitation to learn to walk again.

The accident has hit his students hard as he is a beloved teacher in their school. One child called Xander, who is in Mr Sam’s Year 4 class, has nominated him to be teacher of the year as he thinks Mr Sam could use some ‘cheering up.’

Xander’s mum, Emma who helped him write the nomination wrote: “We’d love to cheer him up whilst he recovers at home. He really is the best and deserves something amazing after a really horrible accident.”

She continued: “Mr Sam is a great inspiration for the Kids to show that when something really horrible happens it is important to carry on. When I spoke to Mr Sam after the accident, the first thing he said was: ‘I just feel so bad for the children.’ He is a really dedicated teacher.”

Emma shared that the children have been putting together a video of their own jokes to send to Mr Sam in an effort to make him laugh while he goes through such a difficult time.

“The kids all miss him and hope to see Mr Sam back in September,” she said.

When Mr Sam first heard about the nomination, he cried. He said: “First of all I wanted to thank everyone at Twickenham Primary Academy for choosing me and nominating me, when I first heard about being nominated, I cried! Year 4 Dickens class I love to the stars and back! They are and have been such a wonderful and pleasant class to teach. I love them all dearly and I will never forget them!”

Mr Sam is one of many teachers who has been nominated for Collections Pot’s Teacher of the Year 2024 competition.

This competition aims to celebrate the exceptional dedication of teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, and headteachers in schools across the nation.

Collection Pot has £1500 in prizes to give away benefiting not only the winning teacher, but also their school and the student who nominated them.

The winning nomination will receive:

• For the school a £1,000 donation to your PTA
• For the teacher £250 in a Collection Pot
• For the parent a £250 Visit Britain Gift Card

The national winner will be named on July 5.