A WINCHESTER school that was made homeless by flooding has been lauded in an Ofsted report, only two terms after returning to the refurbished building.

St Bede Primary School was forced into temporary buildings in December 2000 before returning to its city centre site in April 2003.

Staff are celebrating after inspectors heaped praise on the school for providing a high standard of education.

The report said: "A tremendous amount has been achieved in a short time since St Bede reopened, thanks to the hard work and support of staff, governors, parents and pupils."

Head teacher Louise Fitzpatrick said: "This super report reflects the hard work and commitment from all who work and teach at St Bede. It is a fantastic result."

Dominic Hiscock, chairman of governors, said: "We are delighted by the inspectors' findings but not complacent. We will look carefully at the challenges set for us by the Ofsted team, including reviewing the balance of time allocated to different subjects and developing the opportunities to extend pupils' awareness of other cultures."

The inspectors described St Bede as a "very caring place where pupils feel safe and secure. It has done remarkably well to develop this very strong ethos in such a short time in a new building."

The school is particularly good at nurturing the children's confidence and self-esteem. Many improvements had been made since the last Ofsted inspection in 1998. Issues raised then had been addressed including the spiritual ethos of the Church of England school.