Proud pupils boost Rotherham school

Ofsted has rated Laughton Junior and Infant School as good in its latest inspection of life at the school - up from "satisfactory" in its last inspection.

Among the areas praised by the inspectors were:

• Lessons being fun and imaginative
• The school's "warm and friendly ethos" and the good "communication between school and home"
• The good behaviour of pupils
• "Above average standards" and rising results in national tests
• Pupils taking good advantage of the many opportunities to stay fit and healthy
• The quality of teaching which has improved well since the last inspection and is "sometimes outstanding"
• The way the headteacher and leadership team are "driving the pace of change" supported by Governors
• The school's "good capacity for further improvement"

To help improve further the inspectors have asked the school to:

• Raise standards in, and increase the use of ICT
• Improve pupils' handwriting and spelling skills
• Develop the school's links with the wider community.

Headteacher Caroline Keating said: "We are really pleased that the improvements we have seen over recent months have been reflected in the Ofsted judgement that this is a "good school".

"We're not resting on our laurels though as we want to keep raising standards and achieve an "outstanding" grade next time round. We have taken on board what the inspectors have asked us to improve on and we already have activity in place to tackle those isues.

"We have a great team here, well supported by parents and Governors as well as an excellent group of pupils who enjoy their time with us and are really willing to work hard to achieve."