A GOVERNMENT inspector has praised head teacher Joanne Borely for continuing to drive up standards since taking over a village primary school.

The latest Ofsted inspection report for Emneth Primary School said: “The head has been a catalyst for improvement since joining the school four terms ago.

“In spite of having to cope with a large deficit budget and a reduction in staff hours, she has the unanimous support of the staff and governors in driving the improvements needed to improve the outcomes of pupils.”

It’s a reversal of fortunes for the school which Ofsted visited in 2007 and judged standards to be unsatisfactory and claimed the school had made inadequate progress.

Now, however, Mrs Borely has been praised for empowering staff and governors to take responsibility and to contribute to school improvement and evaluation.

Inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the school to be satisfactory and the school’s capacity for sustained improvement to be good.

The report said: “The present Year 6 is working at higher levels and assessments show the majority of pupils are on track to attain levels expected for their age at the end of the year.

“Progress has accelerated over the last year, as teachers make good use of the accurate tracking data to provide additional support.”

Inspectors praised the displays of high quality artwork and records of visits and links with the community. There were examples of pupils’ understanding of the Gipsy and Roma culture including their visit to Appleby Horse Fair.

The report said: “This is a happy school where achievement is celebrated”.

However, further improvements need to be made in the Early Years Foundation ensuring that independent activities are planned to enable each child to consolidate learning and gain new skills.