HARD work from top to bottom has paid off for a Selby school which is in celebratory mood after a glowing inspection report.

Schools watchdog Ofsted praised Cliffe Voluntary Controlled Primary School to the hilt after inspecting it over two days in a dry run for a new type of assessment of schools which is being trialled across North Yorkshire.

They were barely able to find a weak point in its operation as they produced a verdict of “outstanding”, which head teacher Mike Sibley said was reward for a lot of effort and pride in the way the Main Street school runs.

In her report, inspector Wendy Ripley ranked the quality of teaching and learning as “excellent” and said “pupils represent shining examples of young people in their age group”.

She described the 94 youngsters who attend the school as being “energetic and inquisitive, exceptionally tender and caring towards each other and extremely well-behaved”, and marked out the management and leadership of the school as being “strong and effective”.

In a letter to the pupils, she wrote: “You have probably the best outside learning and play space resources I have ever seen in a primary school.”

Mr Sibley, who has been in charge of the school for 18 months, said: “We’re really pleased – this has been a fantastic team effort and it’s a deserved reward for a lot of hard work which has gone into the school.

“The quality of the teaching and the educational stimulus teachers provide has shone through and the way pupils behave in lessons has been recognised as exceptional.

“As this is a pilot for a new type of Ofsted inspection, there were so many things to look at and a lot of self-evaluation to carry out.

“Everybody in our team – from the lunchtime supervisors right up to myself as head teacher and, of course, the pupils – has contributed to this report and it’s lovely to see hard work paying off.

“You can’t have a successful school without a successful team, and that is what we have here.”

Among the comments from parents included in the report was one tribute which claimed: “Every child is treated as if they are the only one in the school and their needs are met in all areas”. with the inspectors also focusing on its “warm, welcoming and vibrant environment”.

The one negative area highlighted through the inspection was the fact that about a third of pupils had obtained permission to take holidays during term-time. The inspectors said they had discussed ways of improving attendance with Mr Sibley.