Teachers, pupils and parents at Newent Community School are celebrating after it was given an excellent report.

The report said the school had made great improvements since its last inspection, five years ago, and that students achieve well and standards are above average

Headteacher Delia Paveling welcomed the new report from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

She said: "The high level of praise for the school is a tremendous tribute to the commitment of our teachers. We also owe a great deal to our support staff teams and governors of the school.

"I am especially pleased that the students' very good personal qualities and positive attitudes to being in school are recognised, and that the quality of education at the school enables them to achieve well."

The Ofsted inspectors visited the school between September 22 and October 1, and recognised that it had made great improvement since its last inspection in 1998.

The GCSE results had been rising overall since the last inspection, despite a slight dip in 2003.

The report states: "At all stages, students achieve well and standards are above average. Students throughout the school generally possess good skills in English, literacy, mathematics and information and computer technology."

Just over a year ago, the school was declared a specialist arts college, so it is fitting that it received an "excellent" rating for art and design at A'level.

The report states: "The high-quality provision in art and design and the school's status as a specialist arts college are beginning to inspire the work of the school in many areas.

"The quality of teaching and learning are good overall, with some outstanding practice, particularly in art and music."

Mrs Paveling said: "The continuing excellence of art and design is reflected throughout the report. I am also very pleased that the inspectors noted the growing positive influence of our specialist school status."

Other sixth-form subjects praised included English, French, chemistry, physics and business studies, all of which earned a "very good" rating.

Suggested improvements at the school included introducing a daily act of corporate worship and improving communication links between the school, parents and teachers.

While students were found to be able to assess their own progress, some were found to be unsure as to how they could improve or develop further.

The success follows a listing for the Watery Lane school in the Sunday Times best 500 state secondaries in the UK. Newent came in at number 306. The school was also listed 12th in the newspaper's top 20 listing for the best Arts College schools in the country.