A VILLAGE school which got a roasting from Government inspectors two years ago has been given top marks for improvement.

The Ofsted team which visited Wolsingham Primary School in May found excellent teaching and improving standards in maths and science.

This contrasted with a damning report in July 1999, which found that its weaknesses outweighed its strengths.

Former head Tim Gunn and the chairman and vice-chairman of governors were singled out for criticism and all have since left the school, despite a huge wave of support from parents.

Mr Gunn gave up teaching to become a lorry driver, although he denied that his decision was related to the criticism.

The latest report said the governors' role was improving and that new head, Howard Underwood, and deputy Val Shield provided sound management.

Nursery, reception and year one teachers were singled out for praise, and the provision for pupils with special educational needs was good.

Pupils were well behaved and there was good provision for moral and social development.

However, staff changes have slowed down progress in some areas and inspectors would like to see higher standards in English and ICT, better monitoring of pupils' attendance and improved day-to-day assessment of their progress.

Mr Underwood said: "This is a very good report for the school. It recognises that the school has continued to improve and that we have many strengths.

"The inspectors found some excellent teaching and we show a high level of care and support for every child in the school.

"There were no real surprises. We were already aware of the areas for improvement and we were dealing with these."