Dr Ala-al-Din Abd-al-Sahib Alwan joined in lessons

Dr Ala-al-Din Abd-al-Sahib Alwan went to Godwin Junior School in Forest Gate, east London, where he joined in lessons.

Head teacher Nina Panayis was presented with Primary School Teacher of the Year Award last November by Tony Blair, having returned to work after taking 10 years off to bring up triplets.

She revealed she had once feared she was past her "sell-by date".

But Godwin has been named a "beacon" school, meaning it shares its successful ideas with other nearby institutions.

'Enormously impressed'

Its pupils come from 27 countries and speak 32 languages.

Dr Alwan, invited to the UK by Education Secretary Charles Clarke, also held talks with the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn.

Adrian Chadwick, director for Iraq at the British Council, which organised the school visit, said the minister had been "enormously impressed" by Godwin and British education in general.

"He was extremely interested to learn about the speed and relative success with which the UK managed to implement and introduce a national curriculum," he added.