HEADTEACHER Susan Hollows may have one of the country's most inadequate school buildings but its high-flying pupils and their parents are celebrating because she has been named as the nation's Rural School Teacher of the Year!

The prestigious accolade has come in the new Countryside Awards, run by the National Farmers Union, in which leaders of rural life are honoured.

Mrs Hollows, who has spent 24 years in education, teaching initially at an American boarding school in Suffolk, before spending several years at Gillamoor, Terrington and Kirkbymoorside schools, is head of the village school at Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe which is well-known by those in education in the county for its poor accommodation.

However, the 35 pupil school - which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary - is due to be replaced next year, says Mrs Hollows, after years of campaigning which has even seen top educationalist Lord Dearing make a fact-finding visit.

The school is so cramped that it has had to take over the village hall and use it as classrooms and a dining hall. But the zinc-clad wartime building itself is approaching the end of its life, with the paintwork masking many shortcomings.

"It was hoped that a double project could be built, incorporating both a school and a village hall, but there were funding problems and now it seems that Sutton is to get both a new school and, hopefully, a much-needed village hall as well," said Mrs Hollows, who lives at Kirkbymoorside.

"We desperately need a new school. The children are marvellous but the teaching facilities are totally inadequate. We get tremendous support from our parents - they are wonderful - but everyone recognises the shortcomings of the buildings."

There have been days when it has taken until mid-afternoon for the school to reach the legal temperature for office workers while in summer, the heat becomes over-powering, she said.

Indeed, there is even ivy growing through the window of a make-shift "indoor" toilet!

But the original budget for the replacement school of £400,000 has now doubled, she added. "We have a very caring environment - it is a really happy school and we do have a lot of children from well outside the catchment area who come here despite the inadequate buildings."

She modestly pulls out of the filing cabinet in her "office" - a converted mini-storecupboard - the latest Ofsted report Throughout the document, one word constantly emerges - "Excellent".

The usually critical inspectors said of the Church of England school: "Pupils exude enthusiasm - they are proud of the school and its achievements. The school is happy and purposeful. Pupils show high levels of maturity in the way they support and care for one another. Pupils take responsibility very seriously. They are very good at using their initiative. They love coming to school and attendance is well above the national average," adding: "The quality of education is outstanding."

Mrs Hollows, and her teaching staff of Kate McEvoy, Jackie McNiece and Sara Atkinson, who is currently acting head at East Cowton, are lavished with praise by the inspectors.

"The headteacher inspires and enthuses the staff," says the report. "They are a very effective and hard-working team."

But the inspectors confirm the school's chief difficulty, saying: "The schools accommodation is poor." This is the biggest concern of both parents and teachers, it adds.

Mrs Hollows was nominated by the parents for the Rural Teacher of the Year Award, which was presented at a reception in London by television presenter John Craven.

She said: "My personal belief is that the National Curriculum is everything a child needs to know, but if we can build on that then it is to everyone's benefit."

Sutton has, for three years, had the distinction of being a Beacon School, a designation which has attracted extra funds from the government.

Despite its limitations in space and accommodation, the school has many activities and numbers swimming, football, cricket, and music among them.

One of the school's greatest supporters is Sir Jimmy Savile, who made a visit and regularly keeps in contact and rang Susan to congratulate her on her award and has given £500 towards the new school.

Her two children are set to follow in her footsteps - Becky, 21, who is currently at Durham University and David, 18, now at St John's College, are both doing teacher training.

Updated: 09:37 Wednesday, October 02, 2002