EDUCATION watchdogs have given a Droitwich Spa school a big thumbs up.

St Peter's CE First School, in Church Lane, has been praised by Ofsted inspectors, who noted the school has made good progress since their last visit in 1996.

Their report said the school had a caring ethos, good leadership and high teaching standards.

Pupils achieved well above average standards in English and music and above average in maths, science and other subjects, with the exception of information technology (IT).

During a week-long visit inspectors observed 88 lessons and the quality of teaching was satisfactory or better in 95 per cent of them.

The report identified two areas in need of development.

It said there should be more formal systems in place to find out what the school does well and what could be more effective. And opportunities for pupils to learn new skills in IT should be increased.

A spokesman for the school's governing body said: "We are delighted with the report.

"The staff work extremely hard, consistently achieving high standards."