EDUCATION inspectors have reserved 'special' praise for the improvements at Chagford Primary School. Two inspectors from the school standards agency, Ofsted, visited Chagford Church of England Primary last month and their report has recently been published. They have reported that 'enthusiastic learners are achieving high academic standards' and that the school has developed a 'positive and caring ethos'. Every area of school life at Chagford has been described as being 'good' and everything is 'well placed' to continue to improve. The report said: 'The school is providing a good education for its pupils. There has been a good level of improvement recently and the school is in a good position for these improvements to continue.' Inspectors report that by the end of their first year in school children are attaining national expectations in all areas of development. By the time they reach seven, thanks to good teaching coupled with good support from teaching assistants, children are achieving above average results in reading, writing and maths. They continue to achieve higher than expected standards in reading, writing and science by the time they leave school at eleven and the current nationally expected standards in maths are also improving. The report continued: 'Pupils enjoy their education very much and are enthusiastic learners. 'They have positive attitudes to work and their enjoyment of education is outstanding. They also have an excellent understanding of healthy eating and exercise. 'There is a good range of additional activities, especially in sports and educational visits. Pupils talk enthusiastically about visits which, clearly, greatly increase their engagement in learning.' One such visit was a history field trip to Tintagel, the national heritage site and birthplace of King Arthur. The inspectors noted that the school had undergone disruption in the past with changes in staffing and leadership. But new headteacher Justin Stone had dealt with these issues effectively and the school was now improving rapidly. They said: 'Parents recognise that improvement has taken place and many are, rightly, full of praise.' Mr Stone said: 'The school has been on quite a journey over the past couple of years and it is really encouraging that the hard work of the whole school community has been recognised and highly praised. 'I was very pleased that the children's enjoyment of education was graded as outstanding. 'There has been a clear focus to develop a creative, broad and balanced curriculum so that opportunities for learning are maximised. 'This has been central to the vision of the school and has had a clear impact on standards.'
