STAFF at Gig Mill Primary School have been celebrating after receiving praise from Ofsted.

The Norton school, which has 591 pupils aged four to 11 on its roll, has retained its 'good' status following a short inspection in December.

Inspectors praised the commitment and drive of school leadership and staff to provide the best education for pupils.

The report says standards across the school have risen and pupil progress is much stronger, with writing progress now above the national average.

Ofsted has praised the school for making improvements in areas including attendance, which is now above national average, with the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of Year 1 rising from 38 per cent to 90 per cent.

The inspector said pupil behaviour was impeccable and children at The Broadway school conduct themselves to the highest standard, being confident, curious and having well-developed positive attitudes to learning.

The report also states that children get a very good start to school with strong provision at nursery and reception stages and that children who are not making expected progress are provided with extra help and support.

Headteacher Angela Hannaway said: "We endeavour to make our school the very best that it can be, and this is reflected in this great report.

"The report reflects the hard work and dedication of the staff team over the past five years, and improvements made year on year to make Gig Mill a great place to be.

"I would like to personally thank everyone across our amazing school community for making this a reality, I could not be more proud of our staff and pupils and all that we have achieved together.”

Councillor Sue Ridney, Dudley's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "This Ofsted report marks out just how hard everyone at Gig Mill Primary is working to make this school truly great and I would like to extend a huge congratulations to the head teacher, leadership team, staff, pupils and governors for everything they’ve achieved."