JEFF Robinson was a runner-up for this year’s Unsung Hero Award.

Mr Robinson was shortlisted as a finalist after being instrumental in setting up the academy system in the area.

Mr Robinson, from the Hanley and Upton Educational Trust said: “It was tough and there was a lot of hard work involved in getting it set up, but the rewarding thing is seeing the schools thriving.

“I could not have done any of this without brilliant people around me at all levels.”

Without the work of Jeff and his colleagues, the schools in the area would not be thriving in the way they are now.