AN Evesham primary school - branded as having serious weaknesses two years ago - has turned itself around, according to a new Ofsted report.

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in High Street has been classified Grade 2 (good) in every category inspected.

It became the first school in Evesham to be inspected under the new Ofsted Inspection framework when they were visited on November 30 and December 1.

Headteacher Frances Abela said: "We are absolutely delighted with this glowing report.

"It comes as a result of tremendous hard work by staff, pupils, parents and governors in moving the school forward and is well deserved.

"We are now looking forward to some exciting future developments."

In the introduction, the report said: "The school was judged to have serious weaknesses in the inspection of November 2003.

"The school has had significant staff changes since the previous inspection

"This is a good school. There has been significant progress in all areas since the last inspection. The capacity to improve further is good and the school provides good value for money.

"Good teaching and a rich curriculum ensure that children in the Foundation Stage progress well and reach above average standards by the end of their reception year.

"As a result of effective teaching, pupils now also make good progress in all year groups, but particularly in Years 1 and 2 where they are reaching well above average standards in English science and mathematics."

The one drawback highlighted in the report was the standard of writing achieved by Year 6 pupils. "While they are above average overall, higher attainers are not yet doing as well as they can in writing."

The inspectors also felt the board of governors could do more to challenge the school's performance.

Teachers, however, were praised for being "very good at making lessons fun by using exciting resources".