COLWALL CE Primary School has been rated "very good" and praised for its caring environment in a report by Ofsted.

Inspectors visited the school in October and spent three days observing lessons and talking to pupils, staff and parents.

Richard Southall has been headteacher at the school for 25 years and has seen the number of pupils there grow from 70 to 195.

He was praised for his leadership and for promoting the school's caring family ethos.

"I was particularly pleased that the report recognised the importance of caring for the children. If you don't start there where do you begin?" he said.

"The report recognises the caring atmosphere and within that the support of parents, governors and the community."

Mr Southall said that a school with pupils that were happy and supported was much more important than success in government league tables.

When Ofsted inspects schools it rates different areas on a scale of 1-7, with one being excellent and 7 very poor.

The school's teaching and the quality of education were both rated very good overall. Pupils' achievement was good, as was the school's leadership and management. The pupils' personal qualities were rated very good.

Staff were praised for working well as a team and being excellent role models.

The inspectors felt the school could improve by focusing its development plan on improving specific areas identified from assessment information.

Mr Southall said he had already started to tackle this issue before their visit.

The inspectors wrote that the pupils' views of the school were well reflected by one student who described it as "a lovely school'.