LOCKING Stumps Primary School has been praised by Ofsted inspectors for its ‘epic’ teachers and commitment to pupil welfare.

Ofsted visited the school in January and gave it a glowing report, saying that children skip into class each morning with ‘happy, smiley’ faces. It was handed the second highest rating of good.

Inspector Sheila Iwaskow said: “Visitors are made to feel very welcome and cannot fail to be impressed by the warm, friendly and caring atmosphere.

“Leadership and management of the school are strong. The headteacher shows a sheer determination to provide the very best possible education for all pupils who attend the school.”

When inspectors asked pupils about their teachers, children described them as ‘epic’, ‘awesome’ and ‘simply the best’.

And parents are equally impressed, telling Ofsted they would not want their children to go to any other school and saying staff are ‘dedicated and hardworking’.

The report said “Staff are proud to work at the school, feel valued and well supported. Teaching assistants are a valuable asset to the school.

“Pupils are at the heart of everything that happens at Locking Stumps Primary School.”

But inspectors added that on occasions pupils are not challenged enough and some of the school’s targets are not measurable.

They said: “Older pupils also enjoy reading and talk evaluatively about the different books and authors that they like. However not many pupils make good use of the school library.”

To read the full report visit reports.ofsted.gov.uk.