Staff and pupils at a Stevenage school are celebrating after receiving a 'good' Ofsted rating following a recent inspection.

The Leys Primary and Nursery School retained its 'good' status, achieving the rating in all five categories up for inspection.

Inspectors visited the school over two days, and found pupils "happy [and] eager to learn", with staff reinforcing school values "at every opportunity".

They concluded that pupils "leave the school well prepared for their next stage of learning".

One particular area praised by inspectors was the school's handling of early years provision, with "carefully designed opportunities" across the curriculum, an enjoyment of learning among the children, and the development of "important social skills".

The Comet spoke to Davinder Khangura, headteacher, who told us that she is "really proud" of the report and that the inspection had been "quite a nice couple of days, to be honest!"

She saw it as an opportunity "to celebrate how hard we've been working at the school and with our parents".

"It was a really positive experience and, yes, there's a lot going on in the media but I'd say, actually, they were really understanding of the children's needs and our community.

"They'd done their research and were very well-prepared."

She was "really proud" that Ofsted had brought in further inspectors to see whether the school may meet criteria for an 'outstanding' grade,

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"I think that just shows you how hardworking my staff are - they're amazing, and it's a whole team effort.

"We're more than a family, we really care about our children from the minute they come in to the minute they go.

"It's not a one-fit approach for every child, it's  about being adaptable and being on the front-foot with all our children."

"Our staff really support them in every way - not just the academic, but the social, the emotional, and the wellbeing side of things."

At the time of the school's last inspection in 2018, Ms Khangura was deputy headteacher - since then, she has implemented changes around foundation subjects and reading, and come through the Covid-19 pandemic that she believes has made the school "more resilient".

What's next for the Leys now? Ms Khangura says that working towards an 'outstanding' rating is one of her "next goals", with the overarching aim of being a "strong" school.

And, she adds, she wants to "really push the idea of our children being leaders", helping them to grow into making their own decisions.

"We're the foundations of our children's future - they need to leave our school believing in themselves and knowing that they can be leaders in anything they want to be leaders in."