THERE were celebrations all round at a village school after an inspector rated it outstanding.

Inkberrow First School was visited by an Ofsted inspector on March 4 and 5 and was found to be outstanding in all areas, the highest outcome possible.

Headteacher Heather Thomson said she was very proud of the achievement.

"I am really proud of everyone here at Inkberrow," she said. "We all played a part in achieving this fantastic outcome and we are so fortunate to have such a great school team.

"I know the school will continue to work hard to ensure that we give all our children the best start to their education."

The inspection found pupils made rapid progress, left with very high standards for their age and had exemplary behaviour.

The report classed the leadership of Mrs Thomson as "inspirational" and praised teachers, governors and staff adding teachers assess what pupils know and can do accurately, and use the resulting information to set work that is perfectly matched to their ability, it added pupils received high-quality feedback.

School mascot Inky the Owl was also identified as an essential part of the ethos of Inkberrow First School. The report stated he was used exceptionally well to instil outstanding attitudes to work in all pupils.

The inspector identified one area that could be improved which was exploring more topics in maths to interest girls.

School governor Ann Derbyshire said she too was delighted with the report.

"The inspector acknowledged that the school is already working with a good degree of success on this issue," she said on behalf of Inkberrow Governors.

"Congratulations for this brilliant achievement must be shared by all who are involved with the school, teachers, support staff, parents, carers, volunteers, headteacher and governors. We are all involved in providing Inkberrow with the outstanding school it deserves."