St Mary’s RC Primary School, in Barnard Castle, is celebrating after receiving the highest possible rating following an inspection.
The Catholic Schools Inspectorate (CSI) found the school to be outstanding, describing it as “warm and welcoming”.
Headteacher Lesley Box said: “We are delighted with the report and feel it reflects the life and mission of St Mary’s perfectly; to hear inspectors say that within an hour of being in the school they could feel the Catholic ethos was outstanding was something we will treasure for a long time.
“The inspectors recognised that St Mary’s is a ‘warm and welcoming’ school, deeply rooted in its Catholic identity and mission.
“The inspectors were very complimentary of the children, recognising from feedback that they feel special and loved.
“On behalf of the children, staff, governors and our fabulous families I would just like to thank everybody for the time they took to speak to the inspectors, fill out questionnaires and support us unwaveringly as always as a school.”
The proud headteacher described her staff team as exceptional and announced plans to improve the outdoor prayer spaces, not only for parents and children,
but for the local community too.
A sign featuring the outstanding status was designed by young artists from Owls class and was printed thanks to sponsorship by William Smith.
