A VILLAGE school celebrating the outcome of its latest Ofsted inspection has been praised by the area's MP.

Netley Marsh Infant School, which teaches 86 children aged four-seven, has retained its "good" rating after inspectors praised almost every aspect of school life.

New Forest East MP Julian Lewis said: "The school is hugely valued in our community and fully deserves such positive recognition by Ofsted's experts.

"Congratulations to the children, head teacher and staff."

Ofsted inspectors praised the "respectful and trusting" relationship between adults and pupils at the school.

They added: "Pupils value how staff respond quickly to any worries they may have and are always there to help.

"Leaders are ambitious that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will do well."

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The inspectors said pupils understood what was expected of them, resulting in a "purposeful learning atmosphere" in lessons.

"Pupils play happily together in the playground and move safely around the school. Staff deal quickly and effectively with any incidents of bullying.

"Leaders have made sure teachers know what and when to teach the content in different subjects. This ensures that pupils build their knowledge and skills incrementally.

"During lessons and at key points in a series of lessons, staff check that pupils are learning what is being taught.

"Sometimes, however, teachers’ subject knowledge is not as strong as it needs to be. This means that the curriculum content is not always taught effectively enough and pupils do not do as well as they could."

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The inspectors described the arrangements for safeguarding as effective.

"Staff know their pupils well. They use this information to ensure that pupils are safe. Leaders respond swiftly to any referrals made by staff and access the help that pupils need quickly.

"During the recruitment process for staff, the appropriate checks are made to confirm that adults are safe to work in school."

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Head teacher Mathew Bowen said: "I am incredibly proud of the team at Netley Marsh, and all the team across our federation, who work across our three small schools.

"We have worked hard to ensure that provision for our children remains at the forefront of our work, so that our children continue to thrive in their learning and enjoy coming to school."

In 2004 the school was placed in special measures, but was ranked "outstanding" or "good" in all areas just three years later.

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