It takes a big man to admit he is wrong. Surely, if that man is a school head, apologising makes him an even bigger man?

Lelio Spiteri, however, believes that if you want children to grow up able to admit when they made a mistake, you have to lead by example. This is why, on his daily blog on the website of the Victoria primary school, he wrote: “I got really mad when I saw misbehaviour in a particular classroom.

“Looking back, I think I overreacted.”

And it is not just on his blog; he even went back to one class to apologise for being angry.

This is not the only thing this dynamic head does to encourage his students: he comes to school in his pyjamas on Pyjama Day and dressed as Dracula for Halloween.

He was appointed head five years ago, having already worked there for five years, and he has embarked on a crusade to put academic performance behind the pursuit of happiness. It is not a one-man crusade: he is being backed up by the principal of the Gozo college that the school forms part of and also by his dedicated teachers and the students’ parents.

The colourful website gives the first inkling of the impact he is having on this school, with the video of a TedEx talk he gave that really captures his enthusiasm.

But it is only when you go to the school itself do you capture the infectiousness of his approach.

When I was a child, schooling was all about books and exams

At school assembly, he comes up with a ‘little known fact’ each morning and sings and dances with the students. During exams, they always have a mini keep-fit session to “reduce stress levels”.

The Victoria school is by no means the only one to have halls and stairways decked with myriad projects, home-made pots filled with gardening attempts and earnest MTV-wannabes putting together dance routines. The Maltese educational system has so many people to be proud of that it seems unfair to single out a particular person or school.

But how many heads have “Enter at your own risk. Gas mask recommended” on their door?

Mr Spiteri claims to know the name of each and every one of the 384 ‘learners’ at the school – a claim that certainly was true for all the children that crossed his path – and he clearly has a soft spot for the 40 foreigners there, ensuring they make friends and integrate.

When he wandered into the kinder playground, at least a dozen four-year-olds came to throw their arms around him.

But what really gets him going is the mention of exams: “When I was a child, schooling was all about books and exams.

“I used to come first in class but schooling was not fun. Children should come to school because they enjoy it,” he added, noting that happy students translated into ones that also performed well academically.

Last year, inspired by a letter sent out to children by a school in Northern Ireland, he did the same after the half-yearly exams, reminding students that marks “cannot measure how amazing you are”.

And the kids certainly seem to believe him when he tells them that they can do anything they want. On June 21, Year 6 students launched their own book, entitled Going Up, for example.

The school was also recently awarded the Gieħ il-Belt Victoria prize. But the building, opened in 1856, is struggling to cope with the rising numbers of students and the only time the grin leaves Mr Spiteri’s face is when he talks about promises that a new one will be built.

His blog says it all: “While in Mosta, had the opportunity to meet the head of Żokrija school, Jude Zammit. He briefly updated me on the school. Building is modern, consisting of different blocks, large playgrounds and an agriculture garden. Maintenance is on the go all the time. He told me that a tour around the school building is about 2km in length.

“Mr Zammit also took me to his office. What a sharp contrast between the Happy Office and his office. The school is indeed a state of the art middle and senior school. Will our kids be lucky enough to have a state of the art primary school?

“We have to wait and see!”

https://ourhappyschool.wordpress.com/

School head Lelio Spiteri has embarked on a crusade to put academic performance behind the pursuit of happiness.