A WINSFORD school head has spoken of his delight after being given a ‘good’ rating by Ofsted inspectors.

Winsford High Street Community Primary was given the rating after the inspection, which followed a major expansion of the school facilities, which opened in December, to cater for additional pupils, but led to fears by some that the quality of the school’s high standards faced being undermined.

The new extension will provide accommodation for children at Key Stage 1 and will make it the biggest primary school in the borough taking its pupil total from 420 to 525.

The school was rated as ‘good’ in five key areas, effectiveness of leadership, quality of teaching and assessment, personal development including behaviour, outcomes for pupils and early years provision.

Ofsted said: “Leaders and governors have successfully steered the school through a period of turbulent change. The new building extension is a mark of their ambition for the school.”

The report also mentions the progress made by pupils with special educational needs and the introduction of a school-led nursery to address children’s historically low attainment when they enter reception class.

Responding to the inspection, head teacher Mark Joule said: “We are very proud to have maintained a ‘good judgement’ from Ofsted, which recognises the hard work being undertaken by the staff and governors to provide the children in our care with the best education we can.

“As a school there has been a significant growth in numbers over the years due to the demand for places. This has resulted in the school building being expanded more than once.

“The most recent expansion was completed in September 2017, with the opening of six new classrooms and a new office block. In addition we have expanded our nursery provision, which was recognised by Ofsted as providing a good start for the children in the area.”

Mr Joule said the new premises would help enhance the learning of all the children as would the addition of playing field space to promote sport and learning.

He said: “In addition, staff new to the school received training on behaviour management techniques and the wider curriculum from external agencies, but also from more experienced colleagues at High Street.

“As a school we continue to review and further develop the learning experiences for the children, in doing so we try to provide the experiences best suited to all.”