A village school which was placed into special measures following an Ofsted inspection in 2015 is celebrating after being judged ‘outstanding’ by a church school inspector.

It was a bleak day for Bunbury Aldersey CE Primary School in February 2015 when HM Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said he felt the school required special measures because it was failing to give pupils an acceptable standard of education.

But this week, Bunbury Aldersey put those dark days behind them once and for all when a report from the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) rated it outstanding in all areas.

This comes just a few months after Ofsted itself carried out a follow up inspection and declared the school was now ‘good with outstanding behaviour and safety’ - something which had been achieved in a record turnaround of just 11 months.

Building on the earlier success, the SIAMS inspector recognised that ‘the school is well-placed to move confidently into the future as leaders have the capacity, motivation and determination to do so’.

Bunbury Aldersey Church of England Primary School

The inspector spent a day in school where she recognised outstanding strengths in all areas: meeting the needs of all learners, impact of collective worship, effectiveness of RE and the effectiveness of leadership and management.

Executive headteacher Fiona Todd was recognised for her “purposeful, explicitly Christian leadership which has unified the school and bought about rapid change”.

Mrs Todd said: “This judgment means even more than the pride we received from Ofsted as it encompasses not only the school ethos but the strong values our pupils embed during their school career with us and beyond.”

The inspector praised the pupils’ excellent behaviour and very positive attitude to life and learning. She recognised that “standards of attainment remain consistently high and that children are reflective and thoughtful learners”.

The children “express their ideas and opinions articulately within an atmosphere of trust and acceptance”.

Head of school Nicola Badger said: “We are blessed to have a team of amazing staff, governors and great children. This result is testament to all the hard work of our school team and we are really proud of everyone in our school. Together we can continue to move the school forward and go from strength to strength.”

The school will be holding its open days on Wednesdays, October 19 and November 9 from 9.30-11.30am and 1.15-2.30pm on both days. Call 01829 260524 for details.