A VILLAGE school which has almost doubled in numbers in the last four years has been praised by Ofsted inspectors who have rated it 'good'.

Joanna Bryan took over as head teacher at Peterchurch Primary School in September 2015 following the retirement of the previous longstanding and successful head teacher Candyce Garlick.

Inspected last month under a revised and more challenging framework, an Ofsted inspector praised ‘the successful transition from the previous leadership’ commenting that the new head had been successful in ‘winning the hearts and minds of the community including parents, pupils and staff’.

Pupils who spoke to the inspector ‘were unanimous that they feel safe in school’ and that the site was 'secure', the report stated.

In a statement, Mrs Bryan said: "The inspection was a really positive experience and the report reflects the motivation and eagerness of the pupils to learn, the dedication and hard work of the staff, the commitment of the governors and the support of the parents.

"Peterchurch Primary School welcomes visits to the school from prospective parents. If you would like to arrange a visit you can call the school office."

It added that attendance had rapidly improved and that the progress of different groups of pupils was being tracked much more closely, including the progress of middle-attaining pupils and boys in each year group.

Steps that can be made to improve even further include enhancing the role of middle leaders so they have the time and resources to monitor teaching and outcomes in their areas of responsibility and publishing information on provision and outcomes for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities meets government requirements.