A VILLAGE primary school has been judged to be outstanding following a church inspection.

Croft Church of England Primary School, in Croft-on-Tees, near Darlington, had a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) before the Easter break.

And the school – which last received an Ofsted report in 2006 – was judged outstanding in all areas.

SIAMS reports evaluate how the school is operating as a faith school – and inspectors said: "The strong leadership of the headteacher, supported by a dedicated staff team, sets and achieves high expectations for all the community."

They also said there were supportive relationships between all members of the academy community and that the way the school supported pupils with special educational needs, within an inclusive environment, was outstanding.

And standards of achievement over three years was high, above national averages, and progress was strong for all groups.

Inspectors praised the strong links the school enjoyed with its local church St Peter's, and the important role the vicar played in the school.

Head teacher Simon Robson, who was appointed in January 2015, said: "We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome of the inspection.

"The school and its community work very closely together to make Croft School a truly special place to come to every day.

Staff at Croft School go the extra mile and do everything possible to develop each child’s individuality and help them to be the best that they can be.

"Becoming part of The Dales Academies Trust is a very positive development for the school and it will allow us to continue to build on the great collaborative work that we already do.

"We are very excited about the future."

He told parents: "Everybody has worked so hard and I am very proud of what we have achieved.

"The pupils of the school are a credit to their parents and I think they really did impress the inspector with their very insightful, deep and thoughtful comments when they were interviewed."

The school became part of the Dales Academies Trust, which incorporates ten schools including Barton, East Cowton, Ravensworth and Middleton Tyas, all in North Yorkshire, among others, in January.

Croft, which serves the villages of Croft, Dalton-on-Tees as well as Eryholme, also takes in pupils from Hurworth and as far afield as Darlington.