A TINY village school has won top marks from Ofsted inspectors.

Roughlee Primary made giant strides to develop plans to tackle weaknesses found when inspectors last called five years ago.

This time the Ofsted team found that 33-pupil Roughlee set next to a little river was no backwater when it came to achievement.

They concluded Roughlee was a good school which had "established an effective climate for learning."

The report went on: "There is good teaching and there are very good relationships that promote enthusiasm."

The inspectors found that from average attainment on entry, pupils progressed, with a significant number attaining standards above national expectations.

They said that leadership, under headteacher Carolyn Potts was good and governors were actively involved in overall management and there was a strong commitment to continued improvement. Partnerships with parents were very good and parents had a strong impact on the work of the school.

The quality of teaching was good and Roughlee provided satisfactory value for money.

Inspectors called for more use of information and communication technology across the curriculum and for clear financial planning for improvements to the premises.

Mrs Potts said: "The report pays great tribute to all our efforts to work as a team between school and home and it has now been acknowledged that this is of great benefit to the children's education."