The "inspirational" headteacher of St Paul’s C of E VA Primary School in Chipperfield is delighted after the school was given the highest possible rating by the education watchdog.

St Paul’s was rated as "outstanding" in all four of the categories being examined by Ofsted during a two-day inspection in May.

Ofsted assessed the achievement of pupils, the quality of teaching, behaviour and safety of pupils and leadership and management at the school between May 13 and May 14.

The report highlighted that "pupils thrive in the school’s happy, nurturing, yet academically challenging atmosphere that lives up to its motto ‘love to learn, and learn to love’".

Inspectors also said: "There is a strong sense of teamwork amongst staff and support for the direction taken by the inspirational headteacher."

Norah Tattersall, headteacher, said this "outstanding" rating was based on the hard work of the school’s staff.

She said: "I think it is down to a committed team that works together to bring about what we believe is right for the children.

"Every child matters to us and we watch their progress carefully and we will change and change and change what we do to make sure every child succeeds.

"That is only possible if you have staff that are committed to that and are happy to change and try different ways of doing things."

The education watchdog, in their report, said the "teaching is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and provide interesting work that stretches the most able and enables all pupils to succeed."

Ms Tattersall added: "I think we have got a creative curriculum that is fun and exciting for the children and they love coming to school and if they love coming to school, they will do well.

"I have got a wonderful team of teachers who work incredibly hard."

Ms Tattersall, who has been at the helm of the Chipperfield school for seven years, also praised the support from the governors, parents and the local community.

She said: "Since we released the news on Monday night to parents, we have been overwhelmed with the number of responses and people who have taken the time to say thank you."

Ofsted praised the "consistently high quality across all year groups and subjects" and said that "nearly all pupils make excellent progress in all year groups in a wide range of subjects".

The only thing that the school was told it needed to do to further improve was "provide opportunities for all teachers to share their excellent practice and expertise more widely with other schools".

Inspectors also praised the leadership team.

The report said: "The school is extremely well led by an inspirational headteacher who is supported by her deputy and other members of the leadership team.

"School leaders are excellent role models for other staff, from whom they have earned a very high level of respect and commitment.

"Staff are proud of their school, they feel valued and ‘happy to be part of a wonderful team.’ There is a strong sense of working together for the benefit of the pupils."