WICKHAM Church of England Primary is a good school - and that’s official.

For the first time Ofsted have awarded them a ‘2’, or ‘good’, for the overall standard of education they provide.

Headteacher Maria Ackland, who took the helm in 2009, said: “I am immensely proud of our achievement and look forward to leading our whole school team from strength to strength.

“Our children are an absolute credit to our community. Their enthusiasm for learning is boundless and I am enormously proud of their achievements, both academic and personal, which the report celebrates. Our children form the heart of our school and our staff and governors work entirely for their benefit. We are extremely proud of them all.”

The previous report in 2010 saw the school branded ‘satisfactory’, with inspectors saying the recent improvements are “largely due to the strong and purposeful leadership of the headteacher.”

Wickham’s chair of governors, Lindsay Grimwood, said: “We are delighted that Ofsted have recognised how much the school has improved over the past three years and the strengths it now has.”

The school has seen a great deal over change since the last report, including a new suite of computers, a refurbished cookery area, a lounge where parents and volunteers can hear children read, and an underwater-themed library kitted out with thousands of pounds worth of new books.

Pupils also have use of an outdoor swimming pool in the summer and a 1000m2 all-weather sports pitch.