A JUNIOR school had “sum celebration” after being judged “outstanding” in all aspects of their mathematics teaching.

Lomeshaye Junior School in Nelson has been held up as a shining example of how to make the important subject engaging and interesting for pupils by education watchdog Ofsted.

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The expanding school, which is undergoing a multi-million pound investment in buildings and has gone from a two-form entry to three forms each year, was evaluated in December after results improved.

Head teacher Angela Pleasants said: “The teaching of mathematics at Lomeshaye has undergone a radical overhaul in recent years.

“The numeracy subject leader, Anita Spokes disseminated the skills and knowledge she gained from the MAST (Maths Advanced Skills Teacher) programme and provided support for colleagues, who were keen to develop their own practice.

She added: “The staff at Lomeshaye work tirelessly to give each child the best education possible and I as head teacher want to extend my thanks to them for their hard work, commitment and drive.”

Ofsted undertook a subject survey inspection programme into mathematics at the school after results began to improve.

After the inspectors visited in December they were judged “outstanding” in all aspects of maths.

In his report, inspector, Allan Torr, said: “Leaders are highly ambitious and have very high expectations.

“They have a relentless focus on improving the quality of teaching. They ensure that each of the rounds of lesson observations has a different mathematical focus and follow them up with additional training and helpful feedback to teachers.”

Teacher Anita Spokes, said: “It’s a privilege to lead this subject in school where the passion for teaching and learning is shared by all.

“We equip our pupils with the mathematical skills they need to thrive in the future.”