Meet . . . the head of English at Winifred Holtby School, Bransholme

Michelle Cross in the Winifred Holtby School library, which has more than 14,500 books –plus magazines, audio books, DVDs and videos.

Atypical working day is a real page-turner for Michelle Cross.
Whether it's a classic, such as Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, or a modern publication, such as Doctor Who magazine, the 27-year-old is helping pupils to discover the benefits and pleasures of reading.
"I am passionate about English literature. It's something I really love and pupils pick up on my enthusiasm for the subject," says Michelle.
"Teaching is 90 per cent personality, and you have to engage with pupils to help fire their enthusiasm for the work set before them."
Michelle uses a range of techniques in class to capture pupils' imaginations. While recently studying Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, pupils watched a scene from a horror movie to bring the subject to life.
And she encourages lively classroom discussions during Shakespeare classics such as The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and the Merchant of Venice.
Michelle was inspired by her own English teacher, while she was at school.
And results show that she is making a difference for her pupils.
From her last group of Year 11s – 32 pupils in all – a total of 16 gained A* grades and the rest were awarded As and Bs.
One of the pupils was in the top five from more than 46,000 pupils entered for English literature around the country.
"I had taught them since Year 8. They were my first class and I grew with them. I was delighted with their success.
"Now I tell my current pupils that if the last lot can do it, so can they!"
For Michelle, time spent in the classroom is the most rewarding part of the job.
Marking is a long and time-consuming process, but she has no grumbles because pupils look forward to getting work back with her comments.
Then there's lesson planning and all the duties that go with being head of department.
And Michelle also gives after-school sessions for gifted and talented pupils who have an appetite for further study.
"I'm a busy teacher – but I really enjoy working with pupils and getting a good response from them," adds Michelle.
"Winifred Holtby is my first school. I've been here five years, since completing my teacher training in Manchester and Bolton."
One wonders - in view of her success - if perhaps there'll ever be a second school, and whether she can inspire any more future English teachers.