PUPILS at an Eastleigh primary school are leading the way in creative learning by adopting a new educational tool from the US.

The Nightingale Primary School opened its classroom doors for teachers across the south to see how they use Thinking Maps in lessons.

Joining them for the day was the man behind the successful American educational programme, Dr David Hyerle.

"It's great to see first hand how the thinking maps actually work in the classroom."

The Thinking Maps programme has been developed in the US since the 1980s and is designed to offer a hands-on approach to educating school children of all ages.

Through eight different diagrams, including Flow Maps and Bubble Maps, pupils are encouraged to think about a subject or problem in a step-by-step process, which they can adapt for any situation.

During his visit, Dr Hyerle saw examples of the maps being used to explain the planets in the solar system, the origins of a tsunami, and the reception class demonstrated how a jam tart was made.

"They really give the children more control over their learning and offering fundamental approaches to tasks and research which they will use throughout many stages of their education," he said.

Head teacher Simon Hind, is now one of only 12 Thinking Map trainers in the country and he praised the learning strategy.

"The children really enjoy using them, and they get such a better understanding of a subject when they feel like they are learning it for themselves rather then just being told something."

The maps are designed to be used throughout all stages of education, and Mr Hind said that all of the 250 pupils from ages four to 11 were now using the learning tool.

"I think this is really beneficial for teachers and pupils and I wouldn't be surprised to see it soon take off in more and more schools around the country."