PUPILS at a North Yorkshire school which failed an Ofsted inspection in 2003 are celebrating getting the all-clear from the inspectors.

The 55 pupils at Welburn Primary School, near Malton, are celebrating the lifting of "special measures".

The school had special measures placed on it after failing its Ofsted inspection in January 2003.

Now, it is celebrating having them lifted last week after a fresh inspection report gave the school a clean bill of health.

Head teacher Helen Thomson, who joined the school in January this year, said that, ten months on, the school was a completely different place.

She said pupils, parents, staff and governors were overjoyed after receiving the news from Ofsted.

The inspectors' report said the standard of education at the school was now "good" and there was "an improved climate for learning where all pupils can achieve well".

Mrs Thomson said the school failed the 2003 inspection after the previous head teacher was off sick.

Since that time a new £400,000 extension had been added to the old Victorian school building, doubling its size and providing an extra classroom as well as a new staff room, toilets for the children, kitchen and head's office.

Mrs Thomson said: "People here have worked tremendously hard and have had to change the way they worked.

"With the new school building as well, the school just works better."

Updated: 08:31 Wednesday, October 20, 2004