The best teacher in the world

Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine in the United States, has been named as the winner of a competition to find the world's best teacher, with a prize of $1m (£680,000).

But Ms Atwell has promised to donate the money from the Global Teacher Prize to the school that she founded.

This school, which will receive Ms Atwell's prize cash, has a library in every room and pupils read an average of 40 books a year.

The prize was created to raise the status of teaching.

The winner of the inaugural Global Teacher Prize, who received her award at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on Sunday, was recognised for her work in teaching reading and writing.

On receiving the award, she said it was a "privilege" to work as a teacher and to help young people.