A WORLD-famous education lecturer has claimed the exam culture has robbed schools of their souls.

And he sent a resounding message to East Lancashire schools and said: "Re-find your spirit."

Professor Andy Hargreaves, former pupil at Accrington Spring Hill Primary School, said primary education was at a turning point and that teachers must seize the opportunity to get the heart back into schooling.

The Boston-based international lecturer and writer returned to the area last week to visit his old school in Exchange Street to see its £2.25million rejuvenation.

He said it was a time for hope not just at individual schools but for the primary sector in general.

"There was a huge drive when I was at school to develop education and put children's education at the fore. Parents pushed their children because they realised an education was what they had missed out on and how things were going to move forward. We are again at a time when education is a priority and things are changing."

Primary education has undergone several changes in recent years not just with Key Stage testing for younger pupils.

But the recent publication of government guidance to return to less formalised and regimented teaching in the national numeracy and literacy strategies has been welcomed by critics of the exam culture.

"England was one of the first countries to emphasise standards in schools, which was good, and I would never go back, but it is being pushed too far with measures and tests," he added.

"At primary, schools have lost their soul and spirit and need to get their energy back."

Mr Hargreaves also donated £1,000 to the school, to be spent on leadership and management -- an area he believes to be of vital importance to a school's success.

"Teachers have to carry on learning so they pick up on new ideas and stay fresh. It is a crucial aspect of life in schools and now we have to work to find a new balance between the pleasure of free teaching and pressure."

Mr Hargreaves has published several books, most recently Teaching in the Knowledge of Society, where he explores teaching at a defining moment in history with a one-time chance to reshape the future of education.