A Harlow school headteacher has thanked “brilliant and fabulous” students for bagging it a "good" Ofsted rating.

After two days of inspections in September, William Martin Church of England Infant School in Harlow was rated "good" across the board this week.

The school “where the children have smiles on their faces as they go in” was particularly praised for its extensive SEND offering and pastoral care.

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Gina Bailey, headteacher at the school for children aged three to seven, said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff for their professionalism and commitment to drive school improvement over the past three years.

“This outcome has been a massive team effort and could not have been achieved by one person alone.

“We would also like to thank all our parents and wider families for all your support and encouragement and most importantly the children for just being brilliant and fabulous.”

Pupils at the school were described by Ofsted as “bright and friendly”, following the schools core values of responsibility and perseverance, while looking forward to reading and learning new knowledge.

Epping Forest Guardian: William Martin C of E Infant School celebrates 'good' OfstedWilliam Martin C of E Infant School celebrates 'good' Ofsted (Image: William Martin C of E Infant School)

The report added that, to improve, parts of the school curriculum should be better outlined to help children improve their knowledge and vocabulary.

However, the report did describe the overall curriculum as “broad and ambitious”.

In the report, inspectors said: “Teachers are knowledgeable about teaching, their instructions for pupils are clear.

“Leaders have recently implemented a new reading scheme. Staff have been trained to deliver the programme and to provide catch-up support. All staff are enthusiastic about teaching pupils to read.”

Safeguarding at the school was found to be effective and adjustments for children with special needs or disabilities were found to be “apt”.

School trust CEO Emma Wigmore said: “We are incredibly proud of William Martin’s latest Ofsted result. Trust leaders and governors have been working closely with the school to invest in key resources and staff training.

“We’re pleased to hear inspectors noting how the ‘well-stocked new library and the newly refurbished outside areas provide exciting places for pupils to go’”