A GLOWING report from schools inspectorate Ofsted has been spoilt by criticism of inadequate buildings at Worton and Marston Primary School near Devizes.
But the comments in the report, published last week, will give ammunition to the governing body as it tries to raise £50,000 for major remodelling of the 1960s village primary.
The two-man inspection team who visited the school in May warmly commended the quality of teaching at the school, the management of headteacher Sue Berry and her staff and the attitudes of parents and pupils.
They wrote: 'Worton and Marston is a good school. Its success is built on an effective partnership between staff, home and community. Pupils are eager to learn, are interested in their work, and behave very well.
'The quality of teaching is good. The headteacher, staff and governors work very well together to achieve their aim of challenging and motivating the pupils. The school provides good value for money.'
The inspectors noted the school has made good progress since its last inspection in 1997. Standards have risen in English, mathematics and science, and pupils' attitudes, behaviour and personal development have all improved. All the issues from the previous report have all been successfully addressed, added the inspectors.
But they reserved their sole criticism for the inadequate school buildings, designed in 1966 in an open-plan format thought to be educationally advantageous at the time. Worton and Marston is one of the last open-plan schools left in the county.
The inspectors called the school's accommodation 'barely adequate to deliver the curriculum.' They criticised the lack of a staff room, headteacher's office or separate medical room. They also said that the three classrooms were 'very cramped with no separate library or information technology suite.'
The inspectors added: 'Classrooms are of open-plan design and are built around a shared work area. This is used for practical activities such as music, dance and physical education, and the noise from these activities is easily heard in all classrooms.'
Chairman of governors, Frank Marshall, said: "We are delighted to have been given such a good report by the inspectors but it is galling that it is spoilt by the criticism of the school buildings.
"We are just about to undertake a major extension which we hope will start during the summer holidays.
"But that will depend on finding a builder who can take it on during that busy period."
The governors have planning permission to extend one of the classrooms for younger pupils and to build a separate staff room.
The plans also include a covered area for play equipment and hard surfaces for bicycles and large toys.
The whole village community has been working to raise money for the project. The governors have salted away £23,000 of the necessary £50,000 from their budget in the last few years and Wiltshire County Council is providing £10,000 from its budget for converting open-plan schools by building partition walls.
Another £6,000 has been pledged by the parish council and other money has been coming in.
The most recent is £1,000 from last week's Worton Festival open-air rock concert, which is being matched by money from Worton and Marston 2000, the village's Millennium celebration group.
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