A Sandbach teacher has won Teacher of the Year and one of his students "Best Innovation" award in a prestigious science, technology and engineering competition set up by TV presenter Maggie Philbin.

Dan Massey, Technology Curriculum lead at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College and pupil 17 year-old Amelia Paton scooped the awards in this year's TeenTech competition which attracted 14,000 entries.

It's the 10th award the school has picked up in the popular competition which also saw the school with two junior category finalists and two senior category finalists in this year's competition.

And the founder, Maggie Philbin, is so impressed by the school's technology talents that she rang and spoke to Dan personally about the excellent work going on at the Middlewich Road school.

Dan said: "Maggie rang me direct and is impressed by our longstanding success and the excellent platform for the subject we have here. I am thrilled to have picked up an award on behalf of the school.

"Once again our students have received credit for their amazing work. This continues our long standing tradition of achievement in STEM and will hopefully provide a springboard for their future careers in STEM fields."

Seventeen year old Amelia Paton won the Best Innovation award for her walking aid for suffers of Sarcopenia, a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function.

Cate Rock was a finalist in the Energy and Environment junior category with her water filter for under the sink along with Hannah Leather with her multi-functional fire extinguisher in the Safety and Security category.

Meanwhile in the senior category, Abi White was a finalist with her giant hungry hypo play equipment for disabled children and Megan Joyce for her nature inspired desk – both finalists in the Best Innovation section.

Headteacher, Ellen Walton said: "For us to have a teacher as the Teen Tech award winner for Teacher of the Year is fantastic.

"We are thrilled for Dan Massey to be recognised on a national level in this way. Furthermore, all of our finalists and our winner, Amelia to be celebrated like this shows how successful we are at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College in terms of STEM and most importantly the personal development of the whole child."