One of Kent’s oldest grammar schools has been rated by Ofsted inspectors as "an outstanding school".

Staff and students at 200-year-old Chatham House at Ramsgate win praise in a detailed report which head teacher John Matthews says captures "the heartbeat" of the school.

And Mr Matthews has taken the opportunity to hit out at the anti-grammar lobby insisting that it is "total gibberish" to claim grammars are just for elite middle class families.

In a detailed report, Ofsted describes student achievement as "outstanding" and teaching and learning as "excellent."

The report adds: "Students are quite clear that it is teachers’ enthusiasm, expertise and knowledge of their subjects and the wider world that help them learn so well. Parents also refer to the staff’s dedication and the exemplary standard of teaching."

Ofsted say the head provides "excellent leadership and guidance" and "leads a school that is very well prepared to improve further" .

Mr Mathews said: "The inspector has captured the heartbeat of Chatham House in her report. We are more than just an exam factory; we are a major influential part of young people’s lives, delivering traditional values with innovative learning."

Mr Mathews said that the deprivation levels in Thanet were such that the school was in a more difficult situation than grammars elsewhere in Kent. He said that 95 per cent of the school's students go on to university although only around 20 per cent of their parents studied to degree level .

"Taking these factors into account underlines the real remarkable achievement of our outstanding Ofsted," he added.