HANDS up if you’re happy with your school!

Children and staff at Fairisle Junior School in Southampton are celebrating after being graded as “good” in their latest Ofsted report.

And inspectors praised the Lordshill school as taking giant strides in its quest to get even better.

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They commended Fairisle for the way youngsters are made to feel safe and enjoy school, and the pride they take in their contribution to the school and community as a result.

Head teacher Peter Howard said everyone at the school is delighted with the report, which builds on a “satisfactory” grading received in 2008.

Inspector Ronald Hall said: “Fairisle Junior School is a good and rapidly improving school. The care, guidance and support given to pupils is outstanding.

“The head teacher’s focused leadership style has involved all in the self-evaluation process and ensured increasingly rapid progress for improvement.

“It has been very effective in guiding the school through a difficult period when staff turnover and historic low attainment have been important issues.

“Staffing is now stabilised and attainment rapidly improving.

“All the above factors indicate the school has a good capacity for sustained improvement.

“Teaching is good with outstanding features, leading to rapidly improving progress, and any gaps between groups are closing rapidly.”

Mr Howard said the report is proof that measures to improve standards are working. He said: “To say we’re over the moon is an understatement.

“It’s a recognition of the improvement that’s taken place over the last three years.

“That care, guidance and support was graded as outstanding really underlines how far we’ve come.

“What we’ve got here is a team of people who come to work totally for the children. It’s a lovely place to send your child to school and I’m proud to be head.

“But nobody thinks that ‘good’ is enough. It’s provided us with a springboard to improve further, because we want to be outstanding in all elements.”