AN award-winning head teacher who failed her 11-plus has told how she was invited to meet Prince Charles to discuss excellence in education.

And Glynne Ward, head teacher at Ribblesdale Technology College in Clitheroe, told the awards presentation: "It took me almost 20 years to get over that failure.

"We constantly hear of the need for talented people in our fast-moving world, while ignoring the talent that surrounds us."

She said her teaching staff could have made their lives a lot easier by accepting less than the best from themselves and pupils.

"Year on year the level of commitment and hard work from my staff has been of the highest calibre. We have often felt quite alone in our struggle - magnificently supported by parents, the governors and local people - but unrecognised and overlooked at county and national level.

"But for the first time in my fourteen years as head teacher I felt that last year was different after I was invited to four celebratory dinners linked to our performance as a specialist college.

"I suppose the highlight for many would be an invitation to meet Prince Charles, along with the head teachers of other schools that received the best Ofsted reports last year.

"However, the most gratifying event was a consultation meeting with Schools Minister David Miliband, after Ribblesdale was placed in the top six per cent of schools in the country for performance at Key Stage Three and Four."

Ms Ward said education was in a constant state of confusion and successfully steering a school through the fog of conflicting advice and opinion was difficult.

"Experience is often the best guide, along with a huge dose of common sense. What we have tried to do is embrace initiatives that make sense to us as an organisation and offer tangible benefits to our pupils," she added. Initiatives include the introduction of one-hour lessons enabling greater timetabling flexibility, numeracy and literacy schemes, new sports facilities, piped classical music in the school corridors and innovative staff training, for which the school received a People Powered Award.

The guest speaker at the event was former Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale, chairman of governors at Settle High School and Upper Wharfedale School, both in Craven, which have links with Ribblesdale Technology College.