A DEDICATED teacher who has spent 40 years teaching in the borough has been awarded an honorary MBE by the Queen.
Joe Synott (pictured), assistant head and English teacher at Guru Nanak Secondary School, was presented with the honour for services to education.
Mr Synott, who was born in Britain but holds an Irish passport, was given an honorary award on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and he was told about his award in mid-August.
Mr Synott said: "I was really surprised and honoured to be considered for this.
"At our first assembly it was brought up, and a few of the kids have been stopping me in the halls and congratulating me; it's been really nice.
"I have been telling the naughty ones that the Queen took pity on me because I have to put up with them every day!"
Mr Synott has worked in Hillingdon for 37 years, starting out at Rosedale College, formerly known as Hayes Grammar School, as an English teacher in the 1970s.
He moved to Queensmead School, in Ruislip, in 1982, where he was head of the English department for nearly 20 years.
In 2000, he started at Guru Nanak, when the school was still in its infancy, and he has seen its ascent first hand.
Mr Synott said he owed the award 'in no small part' to the success the school had enjoyed, and added: "I feel very strongly that the achievement is largely down to the commitment of the teaching staff and the motivation of the students here.
"I would say that, in my long career, Guru Nanak is probably one of the most challenging schools I have been at, but also one of the best.
"We have come from nothing, and it is remarkable to think that we are now one of the highest performing schools in the borough, if not London. It's a real privilege to be part of what is going on here."
Greg Hall, who is deputy head at Guru Nanak, was made an MBE in 2006.
