STAFF and pupils at a Blackburn junior school are celebrating today after a team of government inspectors gave it a glowing Ofsted report.

A team of five inspectors working on behalf of the Office for Standards in Education said Longshaw County Junior was a "good school with many very good features and very few weaknesses".

The team, who visited the Park Lee Road school in December, found it had made good progress since it's last inspection in February 1996.

They found significant improvements had been made in formalising assessments and recording procedures, as well as establishing firmer links between planning, teaching and learning to raise attainment.

The report goes on: "In many other aspects of the school, for example the attitudes and behaviour of pupils, the high standards recognised in the previous report have at least been maintained and in some areas, for example the pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, they have been improved.

"The school continues to have a good capacity for further improvement."

Among things the school was found to do particularly well, the inspectors highlighted the teaching, which is good or better in 82 per cent of lessons, provision for children with special educational needs and school management, which was described as having a clear direction. The report goes on: "Teachers have warm and supportive relationships with their pupils, control them well and use praise and encouragement to good effect.

"Lessons are planned well and consistently provide interesting starting point to motivate and engage pupils in their learning."

Head teacher John Hodkinson is also praised and the school found to manage finances well, giving good value for money.

But inspectors did highlight three weaknesses.

They found pupils attainment in writing to be unsatisfactory, criticised the drugs and sex education policy for being inconsistent and said opportunities for children to develop independent writing skills were too few in subjects other than English.

The weaknesses will now form the basis of an action plan.

Mr Hodkinson said: "Pupils and staff are magnificent and the report is testament to their excellence and hard work. As head teacher I am delighted with this wonderful report.

"However, we are not complacent and are already working to address those areas inspectors have identified as requiring improvement."

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