A KILWINNING head teacher has gone to the top of the class - after being named the winner of the Big Picture photography competition.

Wendy Rose’s picture perfect portrait showed pupil Mitchell Bicket holding up a flower he had dissected as part of a science lesson.

The winning snap from the Corsehill Primary School head teacher was selected from a fantastic array of entries - submitted by North Ayrshire Council staff - for the Big Picture competition.

A total of 138 stunning entries were received with some of the best going on display at Irvine’s Harbour Arts Centre.

Irvine Times:

Wendy’s winning image was chosen as the overall winner by the expert judging panel of Chief Executive Elma Murray, Executive Directors, photographers Steve McKendrick and our own Charlie Gilmour, and the Big Picture’s ambassador, Ellen McDonald.

The judging panel agreed that the photo demonstrated the fantastic learning opportunities for pupils at Corsehill and perfectly captured the council values.

Wendy submitted her picture to show the school’s focus on improving outcomes for all children and families, as well as demonstrating the staff’s passion for providing exciting experiences.

She said: “I always have the camera around the school. On this day, Mitchell was in the school’s discovery zone and you can really see the focus on his face – I think it captures how motivated he is in his learning.”

Irvine Times:

Council employees responded in huge numbers, with their efforts showing off the very best of North Ayrshire.

Chief Executive Elma Murray said: “The winning photograph is a real statement of what’s important to our staff and how we provide services and work with our communities.

“It captures our ambitions and our aspirations for the future, pulls together the staff values and also recognises that so much more can be achieved when we all work as partners.

“What makes North Ayrshire great is how our people make our places work, which creates North Ayrshire as ‘the place to be’. For me, Wendy’s photograph absolutely represents that.”