A primary school in Thorpe St Andrew has been told it is taking 'effective action' to address areas that an Ofsted inspection said required improvement.

Inspector Samantha Stewart visited St William's Primary School on October 9, and a letter published this week praised headteacher Sarah Shirras, who had been in post for eight days during the previous inspection in May, for her 'palpable passion' for the school.

The letter said the school, which has 429 pupils, had 'rightly' signed up for Norfolk County Council's Norfolk Good to Great scheme, which aims to help schools that are judged to require improvement to become 'good' or better.

In a letter to Miss Shirras, Ms Stewart wrote: 'You have a palpable passion for the school and are unswerving in your determination for it to improve to good or better. Your deputy ably assists you, and you have quickly galvanised your senior leaders to support you in your goal. The school has swiftly put actions in place, which have already had some very positive outcomes.

'For example, a rigorous cycle of assessment and monitoring has helped to improve progress, particularly pupils gaining the higher Level 3 in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2014.'

The letter said that, while the school building was 'rather shabby' in parts, there were plans to improve this.

Miss Shirras said: 'I am delighted that Ofsted has recognised the passion and commitment of the whole staff team at St William's and their desire to make this school the best it can be for our children. The staff and governors are working very hard to ensure the school makes rapid progress towards the goal of being an outstanding school.

'St William's is a lovely school to work in, full of committed staff and hard-working, talented children. I am determined that the school as a whole reflects all this hard work and enthusiasm to ensure the best outcomes for every child.'

Do you have an education story? Email martin.george@archant.co.uk