A primary school which came under fire from Government inspectors for a drop in standards has completed a remarkable turnaround.

Swaffham Prior Primary School was criticised by Oftsed back in 2012 because not all pupils were making enough progress and the standard of teacher’s feedback and marking was inconsistent.

Inspectors also said not enough emphasis was being put on the standard of handwriting or presentation.

But, 18 months on, head teacher Hannah Curtis and her team have turned things around, with inspectors rating the school ‘good’ in their latest inspection, carried out in July.

June Woolhouse, lead inspector, said: “The quality of teaching has improved and is now typically good.

“Increasingly there are examples of outstanding teaching and learning which have resulted in older pupils achieving more than expected progress by the end of Year 6, especially in reading and mathematics.”

There was also praise for pupil achievement, with Ms Woolhouse noting that students “thrive in a well-organised setting and learn to cooperate well with each other.”

In order to make the jump from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’, however, the school still needs to expect more of younger, more-able pupils in their writing and mathematics.