Steve DownesA 'vibrant' edge-of-Norwich infant school has got a good report from Ofsted, seasoned with a sprinkling of outstanding features.Steve Downes

A 'vibrant' edge-of-Norwich infant school has got a good report from Ofsted, seasoned with a sprinkling of outstanding features.

Costessey Infant School got the rating from impressed inspectors after a visit on January 20 and 21.

The school was rated 'good' almost across the board, with 'outstanding' ratings for care, guidance and support of pupils, and the extent to which pupils adopted healthy lifestyles.

The Beaumont Road school, which has 178 pupils aged from four to seven, is led by head teacher Rosemary Kett.

She said: 'The report verifies exactly how we've judged the school, and we are pleased Ofsted saw all the good things we are doing.

'One of the sentences in the report is that our priority is the children. That's what we are here for.'

The report said: 'Costessey Infant School provides a good education and is a welcoming and friendly school which provides a vibrant learning environment where pupils' work is attractively displayed.

'The headteacher enjoys the respect of the school community. Her vision provides a clear direction for the school, where everyone is valued and the pupils are the priority.'

Inspectors added: 'Pupils feel very safe and are happy to speak to the adults who work in the school to help them. The individual needs of pupils are well understood and the care, guidance and support given are outstanding.'

They said the school had 'taken successful action' to deal with historically high absence rates and attendance was 'now broadly average'.

And they added that pupils had an 'outstanding knowledge' of leading a healthy lifestyle, participating 'eagerly in aerobics, cooking activities and growing their own vegetables'.

The report said the school needed to build on good practice in the early years foundation stage by extending opportunities for pupils to be independent and extending child-initiated activities to give pupils 'high quality developmental learning experiences'.

It was also urged to promote community cohesion by auditing its 'religious, ethnic and socio-economic context' and devising an action plan to have a 'positive influence beyond its immediate community'.

t To read the full report, visit www.ofsted.gov.uk.