An Alton school where pupils “shine their light” is making the grade according to Ofsted inspectors.

St Lawrence Primary School seems to be in a good place judging by the contents of their first new-look report.

Schools were previously given one of four ratings, ranging from Outstanding to Inadequate, before being dropped last year in favour of a five-point scale.

And if that’s not confusing enough, inspectors apply one of those grades, ranging from Exceptional to Urgent Improvement in seven areas: Achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and personal welfare.

The good news for St Lawrence is the school is meeting the “expected standard” in all seven areas, with inspectors noting the constant push by leaders and staff to improve results and achievement.

“Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. Classrooms are calm, orderly and purposeful, and pupils are not distracted from their learning,” concluded the three inspectors that visited in January.

The inspectors also noted the “positive relationships” that its “polite and respectful” pupils form with staff and peers while its leaders were commended for “maintaining a clear focus on essential knowledge and skills”.

The report adds: “Most pupils progress well and achieve highly, including in reading and writing.

“While pupils typically achieve close to or above average outcomes in national tests at the end of key stage 2, leaders are determined that more pupils exceed these standards.”

While the report also acknowledges the “ambitious and well sequenced” curriculum, inspectors did note the outdoor environment, although improving, is not yet as purposeful as indoors.

Inspectors also believe that leaders should ensure that expectations for spelling and handwriting are applied consistently across the school, so that pupils produce high‐quality work and are well prepared for the next stage of their education in all subjects.