A headteacher's 'high aspirations' and a 'stimulating curriculum' have seen a village school turn around its fortunes in a glowing inspection report.

Staff and students at Hethersett Junior School are celebrating today after hauling up their previous requires improvement Ofsted rating to good across the board.

The report, which came after a two-day inspection at the end of May, praises headteacher Matthew Parslow-Williams, who it described as 'passionate and ambitious for all pupils in this rapidly improving school'.

Inspectors said: 'The high aspirations and dedication of the headteacher are shared by staff and governors. This has led to rapid improvements in teaching, learning and assessment, pupils' behaviour and pupils' achievements since the previous inspection.'

It marks a turnaround for the school, which was previously rated as requiring improvement in its 2015 and 2013 inspections.

Across the latest report, there was praise for well-behaved pupils, improving standards and the quality of teaching.

'The stimulating curriculum is a strength of the school and is complemented well by a range of extra-curricular activities,' it said.

In particular, Ofsted noted pupils' involvement in a dance festival, swimming gala and violin lessons, as well as maths projects which asked them to design healthy meals and plan a trip.

Mr Parslow-Williams, who joined the school in April 2014, said the team was 'extremely happy'.

'We are on a journey within the school and it's really pleasing to get some recognition of all the hard work from the staff, children and governors,' he said.

'We felt we had been a good school for some time, so it's great to have this news. We wanted to show Ofsted all the good things about the school and that really is reflected in the report.

'It wouldn't have been possible without everyone's hard work though - we're certainly all very proud.'

He said the school was now working towards an outstanding grade.

To improve, inspectors said the school should push teaching up to an outstanding level and ensure the most able pupils are consistently challenged.

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