A school is celebrating after achieving a ‘good’ Ofsted rating despite difficulties faced during the pandemic.

St Matthews C of E Primary School on Withers Street, Blackburn, was described by inspectors as a happy, friendly, caring school in their most recent inspection.

The primary school was inspected on July 7 and 8 in an unexpected inspection however they were still awarded ‘good’ status, with special mention to how the school coped during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Headteacher Julian Rogers said: “We are very proud. The report really does demonstrate the hard work the staff have been putting in particularly under very difficult circumstances over the last 18 months.

“They are finding different ways of teaching have spent some extended periods of time teaching online which has been a very different experience for them.

“The fact they have switched so quickly form teaching in the classroom to teaching online is credit to them all.”

The Covid-19 catch-up funding was used by the school to ensure that every pupil had access to remote education by providing every pupil with a tablet.

The school has also organised well-being activities, for example, pupils have been playing cricket and taking part in relaxation sessions.

In the report, the inspectors, Pippa Jackson Maitland and Alyson Middlemass commented: “The school is a hive of activity. Pupils enjoy learning about the world around them and finding out about life in the past.

“The weekly online school assemblies provide a welcome opportunity for pupils to pray, reflect and celebrate together.

“Pupils listen attentively in lessons. They pay heed to the advice that their teachers give them. Teachers have high expectations of pupils.

“Pupils who find learning difficult are helped to catch up. Pupils across the school progress well through the curriculum.”

The last inspection took place on July 7 and 8, 2016 where the school also received a ‘good’ rating – an improvement on their 2014 inspection where they were rated as ‘requires improvement’.