A Norfolk headteacher last night said his school was 'bucking the trend' after being rated good with outstanding features by Ofsted.

Costessey Junior School, on Three Mile Lane, was inspected earlier this month.

In their report, which was sent to parents yesterday, inspectors said the school was good overall with the achievement of pupils, quality of teaching, and behaviour and safety of children, all attracting the same rating.

Last night Tony Hull, headteacher at Costessey Junior, said it was an even bigger achievement than when the school was rated good five years ago.

In January, Ofsted introduced a new tougher inspection framework which has seen eight Norfolk schools rated inadequate in just six months.

He said: 'To get good and outstanding in every area is a testament to the work we are doing. The inspection regime is much more rigorous, looking at the current provision and making a judgement over time as well. That's made it more difficult for everybody, which is why we're very pleased with the result.

'As a junior school, we recognise that this good-with-outstanding-features grading is highly unusual, even nationally, hence it is even more of an achievement. We're bucking the trend.'

Ofsted was impressed with the work being done with pupils in years three and four of the school which looked set to lead to above-average results as they moved through the school.

The report said many in year three were making 'exceptional progress' and added: 'Some of these pupils are already almost two terms beyond where they would normally be expected to be. This is based on the highly effective teaching they receive.

'For older pupils, those in years five and six, there is a clear trend of attainment in writing lagging behind that for reading and mathematics. This is mainly because these pupils did not benefit from the good teaching now seen in years three and four which is laying a carefully structured foundation for the improvement of pupils' writing skills.'

Have you got an education story? Contact Victoria Leggett on 01603 772468 or email victoria.leggett@archant.co.uk