Ofsted may have waited until last October to give their stamp of approval, but staff at St Mary’s in Chessington were always convinced theirs was a “good” school.

Exam results had been their downfall in 2013, when they were told the primary school required improvement, though leadership, management and pupils’ behaviour made the grade.

Headteacher Linda Rainbow said improving results still further will be her main focus after the latest inspection.

That effort has been helped by a change to the national curriculum that saw more emphasis placed on interactivity and relating one subject to another, she added.

She said: “We’re focused on improving teaching and making sure that teaching styles are consistent.

“We have worked a lot on moving away from a three-part lesson to a more interactive style, where teachers are more facilitators within the classroom rather than all chalk and talk.

“We have changed our whole curriculum. It’s more creative and it’s across all areas. They’ve got some really exciting topics now.

“It’s more investigative and more problem- solving.”

According to Department for Education data, 96 per cent of pupils achieved level four or higher in reading, writing and maths at St Mary’s in 2014.

One particular strength at St Mary’s is sport, and the school has just been selected to represent the borough at the London Youth Games.

The revised Ofsted inspection leaves the school well-placed to attract new pupils.

Ms Rainbow said: “It was a more positive experience this time around. We’re proud of our children, families and staff who work really hard.

“In the wider community, when people are looking at schools, lots of people rely on that grade, it will be one of the criteria that they look at.

“We’ve always known we were a good school.”

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