PUPILS and staff at Medstead Primary School are celebrating coming top of the class after receiving “outstanding” results in a statutory inspection of Anglican Methodist schools.

Headteacher Jane Oborn said she was delighted with the grading.

“This endorses the excellent level of pastoral care for our children at Medstead upon which all their academic success if based. When children are happy and feel valued they learn more readily,” she said.

According to Mrs Oborn, the report states that “hope, trust and courage – our Christian values – are at the heart of the school and are continuously lived out in the daily life of the school”.

The report goes on: “Pupils feel safe and happy, secure in the knowledge that their opinions and beliefs are respected and valued.”

Mrs Oborn said: “We are a Church of England school which also serves families of other faiths and those of no faith. Everyone is welcomed and our values are shared across the different faith and belief groups who contribute to the rich community of our very special school.”

The report goes on to endorse the ambitious goals the school strives to achieve, saying: “High expectations permeate the school and this extends to the leadership, including governors, resulting in a continuous drive for improvement.”

This achievement should add to the celebrations on Saturday when the school opens its gates for the annual ‘Medstock’ Festival.

This years theme is Medstock Hoe-down, with revellers invited to join in the fun by dressing in cowgirl and cowboy style.

The event runs from 2pm-8pm with live music enhanced by a range of sporting activities, horse carriage rides, remote controlled cars, arts and crafts, a bouncy slide, pottery and face painting, alongside traditional stalls.

Local bands Interlude, Unlimited Philosophy and The Lost keys will be playing along with Jack Trinder and music from DJ Francis. There will even be a traditional Western-style line-dancing display.

Tickets, priced £6 for adults, £3 for over-65s and 12-17 year olds, are available in advance online at pta-events.co.uk. Entry on the day is £1 extra but free for children under 12.

All funds raised from the event will go toward new equipment for the school.