Davina McCall will present a teaching award to a Brighton teacher who is being saluted for her work in the community.

Anna Brookes, of Patcham High School in Brighton, scooped the South's Teacher of the Year award and only narrowly missed out on winning the national title.

The ceremony, which was held in the Millennium Dome, will be broadcast on BBC1 tomorrow evening at 4.20pm.

The Teaching Awards are a bid to address the fact that mthe teaching profession too often feels overlooked and undervalued.

Anna Brooks won the award for her work linking the school with the community.

Anna, 42, has taught at the school since it was founded 11 and a half years ago and, while her subject is PE, she spends most of her time on community projects.

She is particularly proud of the centre at the school for pupils who find it difficult coming to school or who struggle in the classroom.

Anna puts on a wide range of community classes, including a parent-teenager class with a particular emphasis on drug problems.

She also plans innovative ways of involving members of the community in the life of the school, drawing in outside agencies for support and arranging football and netball clubs.

Anna, who has two children at the school, said: "Getting the award was a really big surprise but, to me, the most exciting thing is it's not my award - it's for the whole school and its teachers.

"I couldn't do my work without every member of staff in this school supporting this initiative and going along with some of my crackpot ideas."

Headteacher Liz Fletcher, who started at the school at the same time as Anna, said: "She's brilliant - an absolutely amazing teacher. She's so energetic and really creative and focused on getting the best from people, from children, from parents and she's very committed in the local area.

"It's good for the school and everybody says it's good for the reputation of teachers generally to recognise an exceptional teaching contribution."

On Monday the school will present her with the cheque for £3,500 for winning the South title, which will go towards improving the work she is already doing.