TEACHERS at an Oxford school could have more than just their pupils' eyes on them when they take classes from now on.

It's because a new classroom, which allows staff to watch a lesson in action from behind a two-way mirror, was used for the first time at Oxford Community School yesterday.

The Big Brother-style room is thought to be only the second of its kind in the UK and a resource which headteacher Steve Lunt believes will "bring teaching into the 21st century".

It means teachers young and old can be assessed from behind the screen by groups of education experts - something which could never usually happen because of the disruption it would cause to a class.

The room is based in the East Oxford school's new conference centre, which was opened by Channel Four presenter Jon Snow earlier this year.

Mr Lunt said: "This is about as cutting edge as it gets. This was the first time we have used it in a live lesson and it was extremely interesting.

"The children were aware there were people behind the screen and looked in on a few occasions to begin with but seemed to soon forget we were there."

And the fun doesn't stop there - the staff watching the teacher giving the lesson are then observed by the headteacher.

The deputy and a number of education consultants can also give their feedback, so almost everyone finds themselves under the spotlight at some point.

Yesterday's lesson saw newly-qualified teacher Catherine Cheffins take a group of about 15 year-nine students for a religious education class.

She was watched by fellow humanities teacher Manny Botwe and head of humanities Gwyn Williams from behind the screen together with Mr Lunt, his deputy Maurice Dixon, Oxford University director of graduate studies Hazel Hagger and Pat O'Shea, the county council's advisor on 14-to-19 education.

Mr Williams said: "This is a fantastic opportunity which we are all genuinely excited by.

"Normally, if I was to go into a classroom to observe a lesson it would change the dynamic of the lesson.

"But this is an opportunity for us to observe a lesson without disrupting it and discuss what we are observing at the same time, something which we could never usually do.

"The mirror does not seem to be that much of a distraction to the children."

When the lesson ended, Mr Botwe and Mr Williams took their turn on the other side of the screen and were observed by the education experts giving their feedback to Ms Cheffins.

He said: "This works on several layers as there is more than one teacher being observed and is brilliant for everyone's professional development."

Mr Lunt added: "The thing about good teaching is that it often looks straightforward but there's always a lot more happening than meets the eye.

"This is a fantastic training and coaching resource for us. The ultimate aim is to produce better teachers."

The room has one microphone installed so that everyone in the adjacent room can hear what is happening. The lesson is also videoed.

The only other school in the country which is known to have a training room like this is the Nelson Thomlinson School in Cumbria.