THE headteacher, staff and pupils at Tower Hill Primary School have been selected to act as role models for others across the UK.

Headteacher Tracey Smith has been chosen as one of 70 to become a National Leader of Education (NLE) by the Government, while Tower Hill will be designated a National Support School (NSS).

It means staff and pupils will be asked to work with those from schools across the UK to demonstrate good lessons, good teaching and good pupil behaviour.

Mrs Smith, formerly head of Bladon CofE Primary School, joined Tower Hill in 2011 as it achieved the worst SATS results in the county. Now she has turned it around.

The school was told it required improvement by Ofsted in November 2012 but its rating rose to good in May 2014.

Mrs Smith said: “For some time now, myself and the staff at Tower Hill have been giving support to other schools in Oxfordshire that are going through challenging periods and it is fantastic for this to now be recognised by the Department for Education. It means we could now be helping other schools across the UK.”

She added: “We invite teachers from other schools to come here and to look at the teaching and learning in practice.

“We also provide training for staff from other schools and for school governors, but it’s all done in a way that does not have an adverse impact on our pupils.”

The accolade is only given to schools considered to be outstanding – though this does not necessarily mean they have an outstanding Ofsted rating.

Mrs Smith said the secret to a good lesson is captivating pupils.

She said: “It’s about making learning interesting and fun, and making sure pupils enjoy their learning.”

She said the pupils played a major role in helping demonstrate good teaching, as their behaviour and responsiveness determined how good lessons were.

Charlie Taylor, chief executive of the National College for Teaching and Leadership, said: “It’s great that heads like Tracey Smith are willing to look beyond their own school gates to help more and more pupils achieve.

“We now have well over 1,000 National Leaders of Education in the UK and their efforts are at the heart of a self-improving, school-led education system.”