ONE of Britain's smallest schools has won an award from the British Council for its work to promote international goodwill and understanding.

Headteacher Carole Connolly yesterday said she was thrilled that the honour has been given to her 12-pupil school at Forest in Teesdale, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

For more than a year, she has been exchanging visits, news and photographs with teachers from schools in Germany, Italy and Malta.

Yesterday, seven teachers from those countries were visiting her school when a framed certificate confirming the award was displayed following a ceremony attended by Education Minister Charles Clarke, in London.

Mrs Connolly said: "I am really proud about the award as this is the smallest school in Britain ever to have been given this honour by the British Council.

"I started this project because our children here are so isolated.

"Some of them will never have much chance to see other countries, so I decided it would be a good thing to bring the world to them."

The seven boys and five girls have weekly lessons about Germany, Italy and Malta, with the help of material sent by the linked schools, and teachers from there have made several visits.

Mrs Connolly was unable to attend the London ceremony, at which the certificate was handed over by Nicholas Witchell, the BBC foreign correspondent, because she was in Finland on a different education project.

It was collected by Kath Toward, chairwoman of the school governors, who said: "It is fantastic that a tiny rural school like this should receive an award for its international work. I am absolutely delighted."

The foreign teachers -three from Germany, two from Italy and two from Malta -brought cakes, biscuits and sweets from their homelands to be served to the pupils at a reception yesterday.

Mrs Connolly said: "They all work in schools far bigger than this, so they are intrigued to see how we do things in one with only a dozen children. I have visited the three countries and seen their schools. We all learn from each other."