AN EAST Lancashire headteacher who turned round a village school which faced closure has scooped a top award -- and £2,000 for his pupils.

Christopher Wood, who heads Barrow Primary School, in Old Row, near Clitheroe, took the School Leadership prize in the North-West BT Teaching Awards 2001 in Liverpool.

He now goes forward to the national finals in London in October where he stands to pick up £15,000 for Barrow Primary. The finals will be televised on BBC-1.

Said Christopher, 44, who lives in Douglas Road, Bacup: "I'm deliriously happy. I 'm incredibly lucky to be in the school I am in, with a wonderful team of people -- from a great lolllipop lady to all the staff, the kids and the parents."

When he took over at the school eight years ago there were just 30 pupils there and it faced closure. Now, the school has been rebuilt and there are 120 children.

Christopher is a 'hands-on' head. "I teach all the time," he said. "I just love it. I'm just myself and it seems to work.

"But at the end of the day it's the kids who really matter."

Stephen Dilworth, who is vice-chairman of the school governors and chairs the performance management committee, said they had nominated Christopher for the prize to recognise all his hard work and dedication.

"He was a bit reluctant to go for it at first, but we're all extremely pleased, " he added. "The school cares for the whole range of children."

He said they had not had time yet to consider what they would do with the £2,000 windfall. "It would be even nicer to win the £15,000,' he added.

The BT Teaching Awards are run by a charitable trust chaired by film producer Lord David Puttnam and were established three years ago 'to celebrate the crucial role that teachers play in the lives of our children and our future as a nation'.