PUPILS and staff at a small West Devon school are set to benefit from an exciting pilot programme aimed at bringing new innovations to the classroom.

Halwill Primary is one of just four schools in the country to take part in the DFES-spearheaded project, which hopes to encourage innovation and flexibility in school lessons, while still adhering to the national curriculum.

David Jones, headteacher at the 78-pupil school, said: ?I am very pleased and excited and feel very lucky that we have been invited to take part in this.

?It?s a fantastic opportunity for Halwill, for the children and staff at the school.?

Mr Jones and staff members spent this week in Oxford planning timetable contents, which will be put into practice in November. As a consequence, normal lessons will be suspended for a week during that month.

?We will still be using the basic skills in the national curriculum, but there will be much greater flexibility.?

Mr Joness said special guests would be coming into school during the week.

?The main aim is to really enthuse the children and bring a lot more creativity and excitement into the curriculum.

?The video that is being produced of the week will be part of training material for schools in the rest of the country.?

Mr Jones said it was ?absolutely superb? to be able to take part in such an exciting project ? which is also being funded to the tune of £1,000.

If successful, the idea is to be repeated next summer and extended, to take over the second half of the summer term.

Other schools involved in the Innovation Unit, as it is known, are in South Devon, Derby and Lincolnshire.

Halwill was invited to take part following a successful bid put forward to the education department by Mr Jones.