A CHURCH school inspection has given St Joseph’s School at Laverstock a glowing report.

The Roman Catholic Clifton diocese looked at the overall ethos of the school and the teaching of RE.

It described St Joseph’s as “a Catholic community greatly valued by everyone associated with it”.

It said pupils have great pride in their school and feel they are “part of a family”.

The report said: “The school has an outstanding capacity for sustained improvement because of its relentless focus on outcomes for its pupils. Its thorough and reliable self-evaluation demonstrates that the leadership team knows the school well. It builds on its strengths and overcomes barriers to maintain continued development.”

Headteacher Paul Hughes said: “A lot of work has gone into creating a climate where learning blossoms.

“The formula is to have clear rules and stick to them. We encourage all the pupils to have high aspirations and maintain a calm atmosphere.

“We talk a lot about respect in the school, and even though the majority of our pupils are not Catholic we expect everyone to treat others as they would wish to be treated.”