THE hard work of staff and governors at Blakedown CE Primary School has been recognised with a 'good' rating from Ofsted inspectors.

A report, published on Friday (November 30), details how standards have risen at the Birmingham Road school since it was rated 'requires improvement' in 2016.

During an inspection at the start of November, inspectors found that outcomes in reading, writing and maths had improved to above the national average at the end of key stage one and two, while the quality of teaching was consistently good.

The quality of teaching was also described as good, with governors now holding leaders to account, and the curriculum was found to provide an abundance of rich learning opportunities.

Inspectors described how children enjoyed coming to school and were well behaved and polite, while attendance was consistently above the national average.

The report also recognised the good progress that children made in early years, adding that pupils were ready for their next steps in the rest of the school.

Headteacher Helen Beckford-Bond said: "The staff and governors have been working hard to address improvement points from the last inspection over the last two years, we are pleased that this work has been recognised and has led to improving outcomes.

"We are particularly pleased that the report recognises the work of our curriculum and the learning opportunities that are planned both in and out of school to support the children’s development."