PARENTS, pupils and staff have been celebrating after Ofsted inspectors found their school had improved.

St Augustine of Canterbury CofE School, St Augustine Road, Belvedere, was considered to be "inadequate" when it was last inspected in 2005.

But there were big smiles last week when its new report said standards are rising and it now provides a satisfactory level of education.

Inspectors commented despite higher than average levels of deprivation among pupils, "there has been a striking improvement in pupils' personal development and wellbeing across the school and they are better prepared for their future lives".

The report went on: "Pupils enjoy learning, behave well and have better self-esteem."

School inspectors praised improving attendance and said some aspects of the pastoral care was "outstanding".

They said the school was working hard to improve standards maths and English, teaching is satisfactory and the school has effective leadership.

Headteacher Denise Jackson said everyone had worked as a team and were very proud of their achievement.