THE village primary school at Langford Budville is celebrating after being rated outstanding in its church school inspection.

An inspector from the Diocese of Bath and Wells visited the Church of England School on January 19 and in a report found that:

Excellent leadership by the headteacher – with a very strong sense of teamwork, equality and shared working among the whole school community – provides direction for the school’s distinctive Christian character.

Christian values are at the heart of the school’s ethos and underpin the high quality of relationships throughout the school community.

The school offers an environment in which children are valued as individuals and where their talents are given every opportunity to flourish.

The Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) report adds: “Langford Budville C of E Primary School is a caring, happy Christian community where all feel highly valued and special. Children clearly enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in their attendance and, in the words of one of the parents, ‘children go to school happy every day and come home happy too’.

“Christian values are recognised, celebrated and permeate the daily life of the school and are covered in depth through collective worship, as an integral part of the curriculum and are backed up by the examples set by teachers and adults in the school.”

Headteacher Keith Sharpe said: “I am absolutely delighted by the report which has truly reflected the values and aspirations of the school. The school bases its ethos on that of a family and we develop the school through our strong Christian values and vision. The hard work and support of the parents, staff and governors is also clear to see and the fact that the children are happy is really important to us.”

The report also highlighted areas to develop:

To ‘foster and develop children’s spiritual awareness further by creating a quiet reflective area in the school grounds in order to cultivate a sense of identity and personal insight’.

To ‘widen links with diverse communities in this country so that children develop a greater understanding of and respect for people of other faiths and cultures.’

The school will be fully engaging with the children, parents and governors to develop the spiritual area in the grounds in coming months.

A full copy of the report is available on the school’s website, www.langfordbudvilleprimaryschool.co.uk