ONE of the smallest primary schools in the region is celebrating a glowing report from Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) inspectors.

Forest-in-Teesdale Primary School, which has 15 pupils and three full-time staff, was described as having "very good teaching and outstanding leadership."

Despite its size, staff have worked hard to cover the curriculum, and teachers ferry pupils to nearby Middleton-in-Teesdale Primary School for sports sessions.

Headteacher Carole Connolly said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have such a glowing report, but both staff and pupils have worked hard for this. We may be one of the smallest schools in the North-East, but we aim to give the children the best education possible, and this report proves it."

The majority of pupils are from farming backgrounds, so foot-and-mouth rendered last year a tough time for the pupils' families.

Mrs Connolly said: "We aim to give pupils the best education possible and that is what we will continue to strive to do.

"It has been a difficult year for the community, but we are pulling together and we hope to give local pupils a high level of education.