SCHOOL inspectors have praised a Premiership football club for its work with children.

Ofsted inspectors took the unusual step of singling out Middlesbrough Football Club following an inspection of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary School, in Billingham.

The report said: "The links with Middlesbrough FC are now very well established and contribute positively to children's learning.

"Staff play a key role in planning activities to ensure that they complement the curriculum, particularly in relation to personal and social development, physical education and health education."

Former Middlesborough and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Jim Platt is a regular visitor to the school as part of his work with Sport in the Community, a Government-funded scheme to encourage better sporting links between sports clubs and the community.

He said: "It is nice to have our work recognised in this positive report. We enjoy working with the children of Holy Rosary School in giving them the best possible start in life."

It is not just the football club the school has fostered links with, though.

The report also praised the school for its links with Africa, as well as regular fundraising for the upkeep of a village donkey in Ghana.

Pupils, staff and parents also raise money to maintain a water pump in a desert region of Uganda.