A PRIMARY school has been praised by Ofsted for helping pupils “be the best they can be”.

Inspectors visited St George’s RC School in February and rated the school as good, with outstanding personal development, behaviour and welfare.

They said the staff were particularly good at helping youngsters cope with difficulties in their lives.

The report said: “The headteacher leads by example. She sets exceptionally high standards for pupils’ achievement to be the very best it can be.

“The teaching of religious education is particularly strong.

"Pupils are expected to grapple with difficult issues and explore contemporary moral or ethical issues.”

Inspectors said children have lots of opportunities to take part in different sports during PE lessons and that mathematics is dramatically improving at the school.

They were also impressed by the staff’s work to promote a love of reading, which has extended to pupils’ families.

And the report praised children at the school, saying: “Their behaviour is exemplary.

"They are proud members of St George’s Roman Catholic Primary School and welcome the opportunities afforded them.

"They are most welcoming to those pupils new to the school.”

But inspectors said no disadvantaged pupils reached a higher standard in reading, writing and maths at the school.

Ofsted also said the head teacher had been “influential” in securing extra funding to extend the school and build a separate nursery class.

Inspectors said children work well together, saying they observed a group of boys building a camp outdoors and then working together to collect pegs and hold the den in place when it began to get too windy.

Head teacher Deirdre Patton-Statham said: “There was no stone left unturned here and all of the staff worked hard during the inspection to make sure that the inspectors saw what we see every single day - a happy, hard-working school full of staff with very high expectations and a love of teaching. This fantastic report is testament to all of the hard work and dedication from the St George’s School team, the extremely supportive parents and our wonderful children.”

Read the report at reports.ofsted.gov.uk.