Staff and pupils at a school on the Royal Estate are celebrating a recent Ofsted report which praised its strong links with the community.

Staff and pupils at a school on the Royal Estate are celebrating a recent Ofsted report which praised its strong links with the community.

Sandringham and West Newton Primary School was deemed to be good overall with some outstanding achievements.

'They are extremely well involved in the life of the Sandringham Estate, delivering harvest boxes to the elderly and singing to residents at nearby Park House.

'They join with two local schools to exhibit pupils' craftwork at the Sandringham Flower Show during each summer holiday and take part in regular services at the local church,' said the report.

'They [pupils] make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider community and their behaviour and attendance are excellent,' it added.

The Church of England school, which has 78 pupils aged four to 11, was rated good overall with outstanding elements including pupil behaviour, community contribution and the extent to which children feel safe.

'The school has improved in many areas since the last inspection, when its work was judged to be satisfactory. The headteacher has given a clear, decisive lead and has built a strong staff team who share her vision for moving the school forward,' said the report.

Headteacher Alexis Brand said she was delighted with the report and 'is proud of the achievements of all pupils and the hard work of staff and governors.'

'The headteacher's high expectations permeate the school and have resulted in rapid improvement since the last inspection. There is a shared vision with staff about what good provision looks like and teachers are given the freedom to try out new ideas. This has resulted in some imaginative projects,' said the report.

Areas for further improvement highlighted included developing an outdoor activity area for the foundation stage pupils which, the school said, has already been addressed in the meantime.

'The report is an accurate reflection of the school and was a credit to the commitment of the staff and support from the parents that contribute to the happy, safe and stable atmosphere of the village school,' said Roger Wood, chairman of the governors.

Reporting inspector Nick Butt said standards of attainment among pupils were above average overall and had been rising but added that there were not enough opportunities for pupils in years 1 and 2 to write at length.

The inspection team visited the school at the end of March and spent time in 12 lessons, observing four teachers.

They also met with members of the governors, staff and a range of pupils and scrutinised questionnaires completed by parents and carers.