[1][2][3][4] Ms Zafirakou was born in north-west London to Greek-Cypriot parents and state-educated in Brent and Camden.

There are about 130 languages spoken in the London Borough of Brent and Ms Zafirakou has taught herself the basic phrases used by children in about 35 of them - including Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil - in an effort to build links with her pupils and their families.

[1] “By getting pupils to open up about their home lives, I discovered that many of my students come from crowded homes where multiple families share a single property.” Ms Zafirakou said.“It’s often so crowded and noisy I’ve had students tell me they have to do their homework in the bathroom, just to grab a few moments alone so they can concentrate.”“What is amazing is that whatever issues they are having at home, whatever is missing from their life or causing them pain, our school is theirs.” [1]Zafirakou organised extra lessons during the day and the weekend, including giving pupils a quiet place to work.

Instead of worrying about teaching the curriculum or making sure that you’ve got a strict classroom environment, build your relationships first.

She was aware about the levels of deprivation suffered by her pupils, with multiple families living in one house running a rota on when they may use the kitchen or bathroom.