TOP MARKS were received by Timbercroft Primary School in their recent Ofsted report, leaving staff and pupils jubilant.

According to the education standards inspectors, 60 per cent of the schools teaching is very good or better and 96 per cent of instruction is satisfactory or better.

The schools results have improved dramatically since the last inspection in 1998, when only nine per cent of teaching was very good or better.

Quality management and leadership have seen the school, for three to 11-year-olds, turn around from being a school with serious weaknesses, to receive these positive results.

This change has been credited to Timbercrofts Head Teacher, Jane Stevenson, and Deputy Head Teacher, Sally Castle and their staff.

Mrs Stevenson said: A key to the schools success is the teamwork and the determination of all the people involved.

When we were put in serious weaknesses, which is one step below special measures, it was due to leadership and management problems within the school.

When I was appointed as the new head and Sally as the deputy in early 1999, we performed a self appraisal of the school, which included speaking to governors, teachers, students and non-teaching staff, then the new comprehensive strategies were put in place.