Georgios Meliniotis Physics Teacher the Meridian School, Royston, Hertfordshire. Receives MBE for services to Education. (Melbourn, Cambridgeshire)

UK Cypriot physics teacher of nearly 40 years’ standing has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours for services to education.

Since starting at Meridian School in 1980, Georgios Meliniotis – known as George – has worked tirelessly to improve standards of education and led the way in the school becoming a specialist institution for maths and computing.

On receiving his honour, George – who is 72 and lives in Melbourn – said “I feel absolutely great. It is still sinking in.

“I must say I am not alone in this – there are so many special teachers out there who deserve this.”

Before he entered teaching, George was a research physicist for British Gas.

He undertook teacher training in London in 1974, and came to Meridian after he answered a job advert that “seemed like it was written for him”.