EDUCATION Minister Alan Johnson went back to school yesterday to see how a once failing primary has turned around.

Mr Johnson was invited to Washacre School in Westhoughton, which was placed in special measures in the spring of 2004 for a year.

Now standards at the school are on the up, with children achieving above the Bolton average in most of the core subjects.

The school building is also undergoing major renovation and extensions to further improve achievement.

Mr Johnson met with the school leadership team and took part in an art lesson.

Although children struggled to identify their VIP visitor, with one even thinking he was Prime Minister Tony Blair, staff were eager to share the secret of the school's success.

Headteacher Lisa Mitchell said: "What we want the Minister to take back is the importance of partnership working, from the children's services director in Bolton Council, the support staff, the leadership team and the governors and parents.

"This school has pulled together to make it a success. Investment plays a part but teamwork is the most important."

When asked if his second career choice would have been becoming an artist, Mr Johnson said: "I am so pleased you have noticed my talent."

However, Chloe Winstanley, aged eight,said: "I think he should attend more art lessons at this school and then he would become a good artist.

"I am pleased that someone who is important as him visited our school because it is a great school."

Despite the school's success, Mr Johnson did admit their was still work to be done to improve standards further in Bolton's schools.

Children in the borough leave school with the same or better academic achievements as their peers nationally, but these standards fall dramatically at secondary school.

Mr Johnson said: "There is a problem with transition from primary to secondary school not only here in Bolton.

"But work is being done to introduce and get children used to secondary school at an earlier age. Personalised learning will also help address this, with, in some cases, one-to-one tuition being provided."

He added: "The 14-19 diplomas will engage pupils further. It is a revolutionary change. These diplomas will work and Bolton provided a very good submission to pilot the diplomas."

The Minister said leadership programmes were being developed so that schools could benefit from senior leadership teams such as the one in place at Washacre.