Glapthorn Church of England Lower School has been rated outstanding after an inspection by the Church of England. The inspector, who met pupils aged between four and nine as well as parents, governors and staff during the visit, praised the school’s excellent performance in all areas: “The school makes excellent provision to meet the needs of all its learners through its strong Christian ethos. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.”

The inspector also described how the school has a commendably broad range of extracurricular activities, an area which is extremely important when choosing a school for one’s children: “There is a range of extra-curricular activities which is much appreciated by pupils. This enriches the curriculum and also demonstrates to children the value that is placed on each individual in the school community.”

The report stated that such a quality of education was achieved through a strong sense of Christian character, the impact of collective worship and the leadership and management of the school. Head teacher Mark Ratchford was delighted at the school’s success, saying “We are very proud of our inspection report and delighted that our values as a church school have been recognised and celebrated.”

The school, which is mixed gender and has 52 pupils on its roll, was also visited earlier in the year by Chief Ofsted inspector Derek Watts, who was also impressed by the school’s level of achievement in education. He rated the school as level two across the board, and gave a level one rating for personal development and well-being, which in the Ofsted system is classed as outstanding.

Mr Ratchford also commented that the school’s success was due to its pupils’ enthusiasm and hard work: “The children’s behaviour, achievements and enjoyment of school continue to shine and are evident to all visitors to the school. This report, and our excellent Ofsted report earlier this year, gives us a strong platform to develop the school.”