HELPING pupils stay connected and up to speed with their learning has earned one Queen Anne High School teacher an award-shortlisting.

Sarah Clark is up for the Digital Innovator of the Year accolade at this year's Scottish Education Awards.

Not only has she taught Biology at the school for 20 years but she's also highly tech-savvy and finds new ways constantly to educate classes in Dunfermline and further afield.

She told the Press that she was "quite astounded" when she heard that she was a finalist, as well as being "humbled".

"I guess it shows that I have been making an impact and my work has been beneficial and helpful not only to the staff and kids at Queen Anne – who are amazing and fantastic – but in schools across Scotland as well," she said.

In her role as a Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Fellow she has been sharing her use of online tools like OneNote and Teams with other teachers in Scotland.

She said: "It's a voluntary role with Microsoft that I put myself forward for so I could help teachers in schools use Microsoft tools to improve education.

"Our students at Queen Anne are now familiar with using Teams, Office365 and OneNote so when we recently started our learning in a remote environment, our kids were well-equipped to deal with that.

"Other schools have closed their doors and when they've told their pupils that they'll need to use Teams, they've had no idea where to begin.

"I have to compliment our staff as well because they've up-skilled themselves and are learning how to adapt and change the ways they teach.

"We're not doing live lessons as we don't know what access the kids have. Some will be different to others.

"We're making sure that we can record PowerPoint presentations and turn them into videos so the kids have some interaction with their teachers rather than just a worksheet.

"That's where the innovator aspect of this award comes from. It's about recognising the tools available but also ensuring that they are valuable to learning.

"A lot of teachers across Scotland are doing great work as well so I am humbled that I've been nominated and shortlisted."

Ruth McFarlane, headteacher, was full of praise for Sarah's dedication and creativity.

She said: "Sarah has made a substantial contribution to creative and innovative digital learning with young people in Queen Anne High School.

"Sarah’s efforts have resulted in learning that is fun, engaging and progressive!

"Further to this, Sarah has been running digital 'webinars' for staff to support their training and development in delivering learning remotely to pupils.

"This has made a significant difference to the quality of learning taking place at the moment.

"Sarah is an outstanding practitioner and continues to make a real difference to the development of digital pedagogy in Queen Anne High School.

"We were delighted that Sarah was shortlisted for this award.

"It’s fully deserved and I am very grateful for everything she has contributed to QAHS."