A former head teacher responsible for turning around a failing Walsall primary school was celebrating last night after her efforts were recognised by the Queen.

Jeanne Monckton, who helped Watling Street School become the best in the West Midlands and one of the top performers in the country before she retired, was made an OBE.

When she was appointed head teacher in 1998, the school was placed in special measures by the Department for Education. By 2006, Watling Street was recognised as one of the most improved schools in England and Ofsted inspectors judged its performance as "outstanding".

At the time Ms Monckton put the achievement down to creating a culture where it was "cool" to learn. She added: "We involve the children on their learning journey so they know what they are working on and what they need to do to achieve the next level. We have an ethos of achievement.

"Children want to do well. They want to get better and do the best they possibly can."

Christine Braddock is made a CBE for her work, which includes transferring Matthew Boulton to a new £40 million flagship building in Eastside.

She is now principal of Sutton Coldfield College and overseeing its merger with Matthew Boulton. The move will create one of the biggest further education institutions in the country with 33,000 students.

The college head, who recently came sixth in The Birmingham Post Power 50 list, started her career at Lancaster Education Authority during the 1970s, where she was responsible for co-ordinating the educational rehabilitation of prisoners.

After a number of roles, including head of faculty for community special education needs and art &design at Dudley College, she was appointed to Matthew Boulton in 1998.

With debts of nearly £4 million, Ms Braddock was advised to close the school, but she chose instead to turn it around.

The college went on to become one of only 16 colleges or universities to win the prestigious Queens Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education.

Ms Braddock, who lives in Rock in Worcestershire also sits on the board of business lobby groups the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the CBI.

She is a past deputy chairman of professional service organisation Birmingham Forward and previous chairman of Focus Housing, which has since become Midland Heart of which she is deputy chairman.