Lydden Primary School has maintained a good Ofsted status after its latest inspection.

And it scored outstanding in behaviour, safety and early years provision.

The report, based on an inspection in February, said: “The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.

“Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning which help them to make good progress.

“They behave equally well in and out of lessons, including at break and lunchtimes and when working with other adults.”

There were only two pointers for improvement, which if taken on board, will make it outstanding overall.

“Standards in spelling are not yet good enough,” it said.

“There are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop problem-solving and investigative skills across different subjects and so progress is not always as rapid as it could be.”

The inspector observed 10 lessons, talked to pupils and looked at their work.

The quality of teaching was given a good rating, noting that literacy reading and maths are taught well.

It also praised staff for doing “exceptionally well” to ensure that work is at the right level for pupils of different ages in mixed-year group classes.

Head teacher of 14 years, Carole Davis, said: “We are delighted, we have a shared ambition for us to continually improve teaching and outcomes for all of the children.

“We are happy that Ofsted has confirmed our abilities to do just that.”

Mrs Davis will step down at Easter because she is moving to Cambridge. But she has no doubt that the school will continue to improve.

“I have been the head teacher for years and many of the focuses have not changed – we have just got better at doing it,” she said.

“It is a feel good factor for everybody. Our children are reliably positive and caring.”