An Ellesmere Port school has worked tirelessly to reverse its fortunes, Ofsted found.

Inspectors reached the conclusion at The Acorns Primary and Nursery on Pooltown Road which they found to be ‘Good’, up from ‘Requires Improvement’ last time round.

They say executive headteacher Hannah Mansfield ‘supported by a very capable senior leadership team’ has reversed the school’s fortunes and significantly improved the quality of teaching and outcomes for the pupils.

“Together with experienced and committed governors, senior leaders have created a school where staff morale is high, support from parents is strong and pupils want to learn,” according to lead inspector Lenford White.

The head is said to be ‘highly ambitious’ and has ‘set the bar high’ to improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils.

“She has been successful in harnessing the support of staff, pupils and parents to move the school forward,” the inspectors suggest and has successfully tackled most of the areas for improvement identified from the previous inspection.

Governors at the larger than average sized school, chaired by Kevin Unsworth, are ‘highly skilled’, ask searching questions and bring ‘much experience and knowledge to their roles, which are helping to ensure that the school continually improves’.

Pupils at The Acorns, which has 366 pupils aged two-11, progress in a wide range of subjects, including reading, writing and maths.

Pupils’ attainment is rapidly improving and teaching is good with teachers and teaching assistants working well together to make learning interesting. They know pupils well and have very good relationships with them, according to Ofsted.

Provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good as are all aspects of the leadership and management of the early years at The Acorns.

Work to widen pupils’ experiences is very effective and they benefit from ‘an exciting and stimulating curriculum’. They take part in a wide range of extracurricular activities and enjoy competing in inter-school competitions.

The children’s attendance has improved and they are well mannered, respectful and studious.

Parents and carers are ‘very complimentary’ about the school and almost all said their children are happy, safe and making good progress.

The inspectors made three suggestions to further improve the quality of teaching and learning at the school.