PUPILS at a Dartmoor primary enjoy coming to school and achieve high standards, according to two independent inspection reports.

Inspectors from the school standards agency, Ofsted, said Chagford C of E Primary is a good school where major improvements have been recorded over the past two years.

Inspectors from the Church of England have also rated Chagford as a good school with outstanding leadership and management.

Both inspections were carried out last month and the separate reports have just been published.

Senior Ofsted inspector Richard Light said Chagford has maintained a good quality of education and is set to get even better.

In a letter to headteacher Liz Wiseman, who took up the post last year after a year as acting head, he said: ‘You are very ambitious for the pupils, staff and parents at Chagford.

‘Since taking up your post, your strong commitment and passion for improving the quality of education for all who learn and work at the school has shone through.

‘You have quickly established a very welcoming and caring culture. Almost all parents report they feel their children are safe in school due to the open and caring culture.

‘Your strong leadership is appreciated by parents and staff alike and illustrates the school’s capacity for further improvements.’

Mr Light also praised the governors who he said were highly committed and ambitious for the school.

‘Strong strategic actions are securing the future success of the school,’ he concluded.

Mr Light said the introduction of sessions for two-year-olds had helped improve education across the school.

Children starting in reception last year were already known to staff and got off to a ‘flying start’ with their learning.

By the end of reception the proportion of children reaching a good level of development in all areas of learning was well above the national average.

In Key Stage 1, the children’s phonics were also above average and by the end of Year 6, when the pupils were 11, their overall attainment was above national standards.

‘Pupils’ achievement for all groups across the school is good because you have a clear understanding of the impact of teaching on their learning,’ he told Mrs Wiseman.

‘The curriculum is broad and balanced. Teachers understand your high expectations, are rising to the challenge and continually looking to improve their practice.

‘Teaching assistants also play an important role in checking pupils’ progress.’

Mr Light said pupils enjoy coming to school and attend well and arrive on time. There has been a ‘profound improvement’ in attendance and punctuality, he said.

In a separate Church of England report, inspector Patricia Morris said the distinctiveness and effectiveness of Chagford as a C of E school are good and it meets the needs of all learners well.

‘The leadership and management of the school are exceptionally good. The head knows children and families extremely well and is highly committed to meeting their needs within a Christian environment,’ she said.

Mrs Wiseman said: ‘Both inspection days were very thorough as you would expect and all the staff worked extremely hard to demonstrate the ethos of our school and how well our children achieve across all year groups.

‘I am delighted for the whole Chagford School community that we have been recognised as continuing to be such a good school and I am looking forward to driving improvements further with my staff team, during this academic year and beyond.’