From David Hutchings, Exeter 382594, February 26, 2008

PUPIL NUMBERS have nearly doubled at a small village school in East Devon where recent rapid improvements have been highlighted by education inspectors.

They say the improvements at Hawkchurch Church of England Primary have accelerated over the last 18 months.

And the number of pupils at the Devon County Council school has nearly doubled in the last four years.

The inspectors say they are confident the school will be able to maintain and build on the progress it has already made as the new team of teachers gains experience. Most have only joined in the past two years.

Hawkchurch was visited by Martin Kerly from the school standards agency Ofsted last month and his report has just been published.

Mr Kerly praises the good personal development and wellbeing of the 29 pupils at the school.

"Pupils enjoy coming to school and behave well," he says. "Many arrive exceptionally early and attendance is above the national average.

"All pupils are known to each other and by all members of staff and this helps to ensure good levels of pastoral care and support.

"The advantageous adult to pupil ratio means that all pupils can receive a lot of individual attention in lessons and this helps their learning and personal development."

Mr Kerly says parents are supportive of the school and several families travel a considerable distance so their children are able to attend Hawkchurch.

One parent told him: "The teachers seem to care greatly."

Another, whose children had just joined Hawkchurch, said: "Their confidence and interest in school has greatly improved since joining the school."

Mr Kerly says pupils' attainment when they start school is close to national expectations.

Achievement throughout the school is satisfactory with pupils of all abilities making the expected levels of progress and achieving the expected standards in English, maths and science by the time they reach 11.

Most of the staff at Hawkchurch have been appointed in the last two years including headteacher Cliff Seabrook.

"He has effectively set about raising the profile of the school and improving the facilities and accommodation," says Mr Kerly.

"The headteacher and governors have established a generally effective improvement plan."

To continue its rapid improvements Mr Kerly says the school should ensure teachers match work more closely to pupils' ages and abilities, make more use of individual assessments to set challenging targets for the children, review the curriculum to allow more opportunities for independent learning and enhance teachers' and governors' abilities to check the school's performance.

Today Mr Seabrook said: "We are very pleased that Ofsted has acknowledged the effectiveness of the many recent improvements at the school.

"Everybody here is dedicated to ensuring that we continue working hard to make the school even better still."

NOTE TO NEWS EDS: For more information and to arrange pictures, contact Cliff Seabrook on 01297 678331.

ENDS