A LEIGH infant school has got good marks from government inspectors.

St John's CE Infant School was scrutinised by Ofsted in October.

Inspectors reported St. John's is a "very good" school with a "caring atmosphere in which all members of the school community are valued."

"The very good relationship between adults and pupils contributes to the 'family' atmosphere and pupils have very good attitudes to their work," the report statess.

High standards in English and Maths were also singled out for praise.

Headteacher Lilian Worthington was delighted.

"Compared to schools with similar socio-economic indicators, we were amongst the country's top 5% in reading and Maths in 1999 and this year's National Curriculum test results show that these standards have been maintained.

"I am very pleased that the hard work and dedication of everyone involved with the school has been recognised by the inspectors. I feel that the comment made about the 'happy family' atmosphere truly reflects the ethos of the school."

Ofsted praised the level of staff commitment and the strong partnership between parents and school.

The Head and Deputy were found to provide very good leadership and the pupils were receiving high quality teaching.

Chair of governors, Eileen Watson was thrilled with the report which highlighted the involvement of the governors in the strategic management of the school.

"We are delighted with this excellent report. Everyone connected with the school - staff, parents, governors and children - has worked very hard to achieve such high standards in so many areas."