PRIMARY school teacher Sharron Hardman will be on stage at the famous Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London, on Sunday.

And when she leaves, she might be walking away with £22,000 for Gorsefield Primary School in Radcliffe.

Miss Hardman (47) will attend the national finals of the teaching Awards Ceremony 2001, hosted by Carol Smillie, and with a host of stars of stage and screen in attendance.

"I'm very nervous, but I'm looking forward to it," said Miss Hardman.

She won the regional heats in June, when she received the Award for Excellence in Special Needs Teaching. The prize also included a £2,000 cash grant for her school, which she will be presented with at a gala dinner in London on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, she will attend a teaching workshop and lecture with the other finalists.

And if she wins the national title on Sunday, she will be taking a further £13,000, plus £9,000 worth of ICT equipment back to the Robertson Street school. She was nominated earlier this year by a parent of a pupil.

"To be honest, just to be nominated was satisfaction enough. It made me feel very humble and privileged to know that someone had taken the trouble," she said.

Radcliffe-born Miss Hardman has taught at Gorsefield for the past 12 years, and before that, was at Wesley Methodist Primary School for 13 years.

She said: "I have always taught special-needs pupils in mainstream schools. It is rewarding because it's a way of making a difference in inclusive education. I am disabled myself and I don't believe in segregation."

You can see the ceremony on November 4, on BBC1.