A 10-year-old Lyneham School pupil was the envy of her friends when she became headteacher for the day.

Caitlin Lucky was given the chance by headteacher Julie Carr as a reward for showing a natural flair for leadership.

Mrs Carr said: “We are very keen to promote leadership in the school and I had been watching Caitlin for some time and she had been showing immense skills.

“I decided to create a new award to reward the pupils who show leadership skills – giving them the chance to be acting headteacher for the day.”

Caitlin became the first pupil to get the job last Friday. She put on a smart dress, high heels and lipstick and began by opening the mail and sending off some letters, before tackling the issues of the day.

Mrs Carr said: “We made sure she knew what to expect and she handled it well. She obviously had a good role model!

“My PA left her some Post-it notes, as she does for me, with things to do, and she loved that.”

One of Caitlin’s most challenging tasks was conducting a lesson observation and delivering feedback to the teacher.

Mrs Carr said: “She marked the teacher nine-and-a-half out of 10 and gave her some advice on how she thought she could improve the lesson. I think she enjoyed seeing how the younger children are learning.

“She also met the parents and showed in the language she used that she understands how important developing relationships is in a school.

“The one part she did find difficult was being away from her friends. This was a good insight because she realised being a headteacher can be a very lonely job.

“It was a very humbling experience for me and I certainly learnt some things from watching her.”