The new head of Oswestry School showed he was more than happy to get stuck in – when he joined a Year 2 ballet class.

Peter Middleton joined the independent school earlier this year – and after saying he liked to be a role model to his students, put his money where his mouth is with his high-energy dance performance.

And he shared a video of his efforts, as he gave the pliet his best shot as he joined the prep school pupils at Bellan House for their dance class.

"Last week I happened to pop my head round the door in the dance studio where the Year 2 pupils were enjoying a ballet lesson," he said.

“There was a gap in the circle as they set themselves up to dance, so I thought, why not? The kids seemed to love it, and it was worth embarrassing myself to hear their gleeful giggles.

"I think it's important as a headmaster and an educator to model to pupils that it's good to try new things, and not to worry too much about what people think about you.

"It's important not to take yourself too seriously and to be prepared to laugh at yourself once in a while.

"Schools should be fun places. They should be places of discovery. Laughter. Joy.

"Whilst my brief cameo in the dance studio was a spontaneous moment of silliness, it was a reminder of the importance of all these things."

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What Headmaster Peter Middleton was not expecting was for the video he posted on LinkedIn, of himself being goofy with the children, to have over 100,000 views in under 48 hours.

"When I posted the video on LinkedIn, it immediately seemed to capture the imagination of people and the sounds of the children's laughter seemed to be infectious," he said.

"I've always been a firm advocate of the importance of getting out of your comfort zone for that is where you learn most about yourself. You can't just speak that mantra; you have to live it."