A CATHOLIC primary school may have been ‘outstanding’ had its latest inspection been graded, the education watchdog said.

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School in Cleator Moor received a glowing Ofsted report following an ungraded inspection in July.

While there is no change to the school’s current ‘good’ rating, inspectors found evidence to suggest that the grade might have been ‘outstanding’ if a full inspection had been carried out.

Single headline grades have since been scrapped by the government and from this academic year, will give four grades across existing sub-categories.

In the report, inspectors describe St Patrick’s as an ‘extremely successful school’ where pupils ‘live and breathe’ the school values of ‘living and learning’.

The report says: “Pupils are happy and refer to the school as a place of belonging where everyone is welcomed.

“Pupils’ conduct in lessons and around school is impeccable. They proudly rise to meet the extremely high expectations that the school has for their behaviour, academic achievement and personal development. Relationships between staff and pupils are exceptionally strong.

“The school’s aspirations for pupils are extremely high. The school has developed a vibrant and ambitious learning journey.”

The report goes on to say that the ‘highly-trained’ staff teach the curriculum ‘with expertise and enthusiasm’ and their passion for learning is ‘infectious’.

The school prioritises reading and the majority of pupils are ‘confident, fluent readers’ by the time that they reach the end of Year Two, inspectors found.

Lisa Pritchard, co-headteacher, said: "We are delighted that Ofsted recognised how special our lovely school is. The success of the school is attributed to the hard work of all our team, the support from parents, and of course our fantastic children. Our school mission statement is built on Catholic values where we grow together in God's love; this is fundamental to our growth, both academically and emotionally."

Gayle Wilkinson, co-headteacher, said: "The feedback from Ofsted was overwhelmingly positive. St. Patrick's has a strong family ethos, and is an important part of our community, so we were thrilled that our school was praised for being so welcoming and inclusive."

The co-headteachers added: “We both feel privileged to lead such a happy and successful school. We would like to say a special thank you to our amazing staff for their tireless work in helping our children thrive."