A village primary school has been highly praised in a recent Ofsted inspection for making sure the safety of its children is at the heart of its work.

Inspectors had plenty of good things to say about the 138-pupil Colby Primary School, near Alby, after they visited the school at the end of January.

Their overall judgement deemed the school good and rated nearly all areas the same, with an outstanding in the area of behaviour and safety of pupils.

The 11-page report praised headteacher Christine Mead for her 'drive and determination' to see her 'highly ambitious' plans for the school come to life - a vision said to be wholeheartedly supported by her team.

Mrs Mead said she was 'delighted' with the results and added: 'We felt it gave a really good feel for the things we think are important.

'I'm really lucky to have a whole community that are supportive - we all work together. We will keep challenging ourselves to move forward.'

Almost all pupils, parents and carers said that typically behaviour was very good at the school and any rare lapses were dealt with promptly and well by staff, the report said.

It added that pupils loved coming to the school - described by governors as a 'family' - and highlighted that children in reception make a strong start.

Elsewhere in the school teachers were praised for their use of questioning to extend pupils' thinking.

One criticism highlighted in the report was that teachers sometimes talked for too long and there were inconsistencies in how frequently comments were made to show pupils how to improve their work.

Since the school's last inspection in March 2009, inspectors emphasised Colby Primary had made good progress by improving teaching and strengthening previously identified weak areas - such as the use of outdoor space. This included the development of the grounds as a learning resource including the construction of an outdoor classroom.

The school also runs a breakfast club each day and has the green flag for excellence in ecology.

Lead inspector Nick Butt said in a letter to the children that Colby Primary was a good school enabling pupils to achieve well. He also noted their excellent behaviour and ability to understand good safety.