The Search is on for Britain's Dream Teachers

LONDON, February 18, 2011 -

    - New Competition From Jamie Oliver and YouTube to Find
      Inspiring Teachers
    - Ten Toughest GCSE Topics Unearthed for Teachers to Tackle
    - Competition Runs Alongside Jamie's Dream School Programme on
      Channel 4
    - Teachers Can Enter at www.youtube.com/dreamteachers

How does Pythagoras' theorem work, what's an enzyme, and how do you
remember dates in history? These are just three of the toughest topics that
GCSE students struggle with most each year, according to examiners, teachers
and pupils.

Jamie Oliver and YouTube are launching a new video competition to find
and celebrate the UK's most inspirational teachers who have found ways to
help pupils understand and conquer these subjects.

The competition runs alongside the upcoming Channel 4 series Jamie's
Dream School, in which famous experts try to re-engage children who have
dropped out of education.

YouTube has worked with subject experts at Edexcel, the UK's largest
awarding body, as well as asking more than a thousand students and teachers,
to come up with the toughest topics at GCSE and Standard Grade. The top ten
topics identified as toughest are, in order:

    1.  Which enzymes catalyse what substrates and how do I remember them all?
    2.  How do you balance a chemical equation?
    3.  What is Pythagoras's theorem and where does it apply?
    4.  How do globalisation and money affect local industries?
    5.  How can I remember names and dates in history?
    6.  How do I calculate forces and momentum and what equations do I need?
    7.  How should I structure an English literature essay?
    8.  What is the role of DNA in cloning and evolution?
    9.  How does nerve transmission work?
    10. How can I understand Shakespearean language?

Now we're asking Britain's teachers: Can you help? Have you got the
answers?

To enter the competition, teachers need to create a short video of
themselves explaining one of these topics and upload it to YouTube at
www.youtube.com/dreamteachers.

Visitors to the site can rate the entries before they are judged by a
national panel of subject specialists, including previous Teaching Award
winners. There will be one winning teacher per subject; each will receive a
GBP10,000 prize split between them and their school, and the winning teachers
and a group of their students will be invited to an award ceremony at
Google's UK headquarters. After the competition, all entries will remain on
YouTube to provide an ongoing educational resource.

Linked to the upcoming Channel 4 series Jamie's Dream School, the
competition aims to celebrate the inspirational teachers who are helping
students in Britain's schools every day.

Jamie Oliver says: "I know that all over the place there's some great
inspirational teachers and I have really learned how hard teachers work just
doing Dream School.

"I have worked with YouTube to create a little bit of a prize and if you
are an inspirational teacher we want you to share some of your knowledge. Get
it on camera, upload it to this site and then you could be a winner, winning
prizes for yourself and your school."

Laura Scott, Head of External Relations for Google, YouTube's owner,
explains: "We all recognise how an inspirational teacher can make a real
difference to students. Through Britain's Dream Teachers, YouTube wants to
use the potential reach of the internet to help more students benefit from
the expertise of teachers who are passionate about their subject. By creating
a competition we also have the chance to reward and celebrate teachers who
are often too modest about their skills and the positive impact they have on
their students."

The deadline for all entries is midnight on Tuesday 5 April.

For more information visit www.youtube.com/dreamteachers

Laura Scott, Head of External Relations at Google is available for
interview

A video of Jamie Oliver talking about Britain's Dream Schools is
available at www.youtube.com/dreamteachers

Notes to Editors

Competition

Entrants have to be employed as a teacher in Britain or a teacher in
training at a UK. The GBP10,000 prize for the winning teachers and their
schools will be split as follows:

    - GBP2000 for the teacher
    - GBP1000 for the teacher to spend on IT equipment
    - GBP7000 for the school

Dream Teacher partners

    - Channel 4
    - The TES
    - Teachers TV
    - Edexcel, the UK's largest awarding body and part of Pearson
      International.
    - TeachFirst
    - National Teaching Awards

About Jamie's Dream School

Jamie's Dream School starts Wed 2 March at 9pm on Channel 4
www.channel4.com/dreamschool

In the series Jamie Oliver brings together some of Britain's most
inspirational individuals to see if they can persuade 20 kids to give
education a second chance having left school with little to show for the
experience. The experts include scientist Professor Robert Winston, historian
David Starkey, barrister Cherie Blair, journalist and political aide Alastair
Campbell, actor Simon Callow, musician Jazzie B and Olympic gold medallist
Daley Thompson.

About YouTube

YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing
millions of people to discover, watch and share original videos. YouTube
provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the
globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and
advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and
is a subsidiary of Google Inc.

For all media enquiries contact: Nicola Hern t: +44(0)7980-098652 e: nicola at herncommunications.co.uk