A PROUD headteacher is celebrating after an Ofsted inspection rated his village primary school as outstanding for the first time.

Howden-Le-Wear Primary School, near Crook, was inspected on 15 and 16 January and headteacher Chris Baines said he was delighted with the result.

“It’s a really positive thing for our village to be able to have this sort of accolade for our primary school.

“We are delighted with the report and have had lots of positive feedback from parents, who are also delighted.”

The school, which teaches 90 pupils, was last inspected in 2009 when it was rated as good.

The Ofsted report commended pupils’ behaviour, the standard of teaching and the safety of children within the school.

It said: “Pupils make excellent progress in all classes across the school. By the end of year six, they reach standards in reading and mathematics that are well above average.

“Behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding and pupils are very proud of and greatly enjoy their school.

“The school is extremely well led and managed, the headteacher, staff and governors have high ambitions and they are committed to continuous improvement.”

To view the report in full, visit reports.ofsted.gov.uk and search Howden-Le-Wear.