A TYNEDALE first school is celebrating after being praised in an Ofsted report.

A short inspection of Prudhoe West Academy was carried out by the watchdog on November 17 and 18.

Lead inspector Phil Scott said: “It is obvious pupils are proud of their school and love being there.

“Their self-assurance and confidence speak volumes about how happy they are and how safe they feel.”

With the school continuing to be rated as ‘good’ , the inspector added that expectations of the children were high, and he praised pupils’ behaviour and safeguarding arrangements, as well as the “myriad of opportunities” available at the school.

On what the school needs to improve, the report said in history and art, leaders needed to identify “the key ideas and essential knowledge that will help pupils to remember in the long term what they have been taught and how it connects with knowledge they can recall.”

Carrie Hodgson, headteacher of Prudhoe West Academy, said she was very pleased and proud of the report.

“I feel like the report reflects the fact we managed to show them exactly what Prudhoe West is about,” said Ms Hodgson.

“We’re really pleased that it captures the wider opportunities that we give to our children here. It’s always been a huge thing for us – that school isn’t just about academic education, it’s about developing these young children to be well-rounded people when they grow up who have got a real, secure knowledge and understanding of the world that they live in.”

She added: “As a parent, I know what’s in the report is what I would want for my child’s school. We all feel very proud of that.

“Moving forward, we do have more ideas of things we want to enhance. We are always looking for how to make the good even better.”

Ofsted rated the school ‘good’ in its last full inspection of the school in 2015, before the former Prudhoe West First School became an academy in 2017.

After Ofsted have judged a school to be good, they normally carry out a section 8 inspection every four years to confirm that the school remains good and don’t give graded judgements on these short inspections.

The school, which is part of WISE Academies, teaches 270 pupils between the ages of two to nine.