A NORTH-EAST teacher is following in the footsteps of Fame Academy's Alistair Griffin and Pop Idol's Zoe Birkett in a national competition organised by Classic FM.

Gillian Ash, of Richmond County Primary School, is through to the final ten in the hunt for Britain's best music teacher - but, if she's to stand a chance of winning, she needs local people to vote for her.

Each of the finalists will be profiled on the radio station's website from Monday, while excerpts from musical productions they have pioneered will be played on air.

Listeners will then be invited to judge which is best - with computer equipment and £10,000 to spend on musical instruments going to the winning school.

By qualifying for the final, Mrs Ash has already won a multimedia computer and software for her school.

"Every other year, the children take part in a Gilbert and Sullivan production. We have a choir and an orchestra, and we go carol singing at Christmas, which shows there is a real commitment to music in the school," she said.

"I'm one member of a dedicated team, but the prize would be fantastic for the school, so, of course, we really want local people to get voting on Monday."

Details of how to register a vote can be found on Classic FM's website at: www.classicfm.com