A village primary school has started the new term on the back of an ‘outstanding’ report from Ofsted.

The accolade was gained by Christleton Primary on Quarry Lane, Christleton.

Inspectors spent two days at the school, which has 213 pupils aged 4 to 11 and found all features were top notch.

They describe the school as happy and caring and say pupils thrive both personally and academically.

They make outstanding progress and by the end of Year 6 are well above average.

The proportion of pupils reaching higher standards in reading and writing is also well above average while early years youngsters are said to have an excellent start.

The quality of teaching has continued to improve and is now outstanding.

Teachers know their pupils ‘exceptionally well’ and set them challenging work.

The lively curriculum engages the youngsters’ attention and they are often seen to be ‘deeply absorbed’ in lessons.

Their behaviour is exemplary and they are considerate, friendly and polite.

Parents express great confidence in the care the school provides for their children.

Pupils’ pride in their work is evident in their exceptionally neat and well presented books.

The inspectors say the school has improved continuously since the previous inspection in 2009 and staff morale is high.

Everyone shares head teacher David Harker’s high expectations and ambitions for pupils at the school.

Governors, chaired by Anna Barnes, know the school well and are actively involved in all aspects of its life.

They keep a careful check on how well pupils are doing while pupils themselves say their teachers push them out of their comfort zone.

The inspectors say the school’s motto ‘Be the best you can be’ is part of everything the school believes in.

Mr Harker commented: ‘’I am delighted with this ‘outstanding’ judgement from Ofsted.

“We are all very proud of everything we have managed to achieve here at Christleton Primary School and it is, of course, a team effort which includes all the staff, governors, parents and most importantly the children, both past and present.’

Echoing the inspectors’ comment he added: “At the heart of everything we do here at Christleton is our school motto which drives our school improvement process.

“As we begin a new school year we will strive to further build on our successes to ensure the best and most effective education for all our children."