Giant rating for little Shropshire school

An inspector rated the 39-pupil Newcastle Church of England Primary near Craven Arms "good" and said the pupils achieved well, whatever their ability or circumstances.

Headteacher Richard Langford has written to parents to tell them the good news.

He said the Ofsted findings were "a testament to parents, staff, governors and the local authority who all work so hard to ensure all Newcastle's pupils receive the highest standard of education".

Mr Langford has just two teachers under him, along with two teaching assistants, although a third is to be recruited shortly.

The school is in the picturesque Clun Valley, just two miles from the Welsh border. It has a catchment area of 90 square miles - equivalent to almost half of Birmingham - and takes pupils from both sides of the Shropshire-Welsh border, some travelling up to 40 minutes each day to get there.

Mr Langford, head at the school for eight years, since when there have been a total of three Ofsted inspections, said it was a "fantastic" report.

The Ofsted inspector described Newcastle Primary as a happy school where pupils were treated with respect and as individuals in an atmosphere of care and support.'

Special mention was made of the school's leadership and management with the report, saying: "The headteacher provides good and caring leadership and is ably supported by a dedicated team of staff and governors".

It was noted that, for the last two years, all pupils had met the required standard in the Government's phonics screening check in Year 1 which was better than the general situation nationally.

The report said the children's speaking and listening skills were good because the school gave them many opportunities to articulate their views and speak publicly.

It added: "By the end of both Key stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the vast majority of pupils have made good progress from their individual starting points."

The inspector said he had been particularly impressed by the behaviour of the pupils.