STAFF, governors and the headteacher at All Saints Church of England School, Whitefield, have been praised for their hard work and commitment by inspectors from the Office of Standards in Education.

Pupils of the school on Rufford Drive were also praised for their positive attitudes to work and good behaviour in an extensive study by government inspectors.

The detailed report found pupils made good progress in English, Maths and Science which was in line with the national average. It went on to say the attainment of pupils within the core subjects has shown a steady improvement over recent years and found last year's results to be very good.

Satisfactory progress is made in foundation subjects such as art, geography, history, music and physical education.

The report also found special needs pupils to be making good progress as a result of good support and expertise.

Children under-five made sound progress in all areas of learning, and especially in reading.

Teaching was classified as good or better in more than half of the lessons as teachers were found to have a good subject knowledge. Support staff were said to make a valuable contribution to the attainment and contribution made by all pupils.

The broad and balanced curriculum is effectively planned, with development of mathematical language, reasoning, selecting and exploration and investigation to acquire scientific knowledge were outlined as areas for key action.

Procedures for support, guidance and pupils' welfare were said to be very good.

Headteacher Mrs Pat Pye was praised for her strong, caring leadership and "gives clear educational direction for the development and improvement of the school."

The report added: "The headteacher and the governing body co-operate well together to provide clear educational direction for the work of the school."

Mrs Pye said: "The report reflects the hard work and commitment of all the staff and shows the good progress the school is making.

"I am particularly proud of our pupils whose good attitudes and behaviour are commented on throughout the report."

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