HARD work by pupils and teachers has turned their school around in the wake of a poor report.

Headteacher Jane Loomes arrived at Jesmond Road Primary, in Hartlepool, in September, only weeks before Government inspectors arrived to assess the school.

In their Ofsted report, the school was judged to have serious weaknesses, although the inspectors did acknowledge potential for improvement.

Now, 12 months on, Mrs Loomes and her team have been praised for their hard work.

The positive feedback follows a recent monitoring by staff from Hartlepool Borough Council's children's services department.

They found that overall teaching was good, with 100 per cent of lessons rated satisfactory or better, compared to 96 per cent nationally, and 73 per cent of lessons were good or better, compared to the national average of 76 per cent.

The monitoring team found that overall achievement was good and that pupils demonstrated very good behaviour and attitudes in lessons.

They said the youngsters responded well to teachers and teaching assistants, got on well with each other and were friendly and welcoming.

The monitors also noted that pupils were keen to learn and spoke positively about the school.

Mrs Loomes was praised for showing good leadership and, along with the governors, she was found to have a clear vision for the short, medium and long-term success of the school.

She said: "I am delighted with this positive report. It clearly shows how our dedicated staff have worked extremely hard in making improvements for the benefit of our children.

"The local authority and the governors have also been very supportive of the school and helped us through what has been a difficult period since the Ofsted inspection."

Inspectors last year commented that core subjects, such as numeracy and literacy, were not up to standard.

Staff have since looked at the teaching techniques and made lessons more interactive, with pupils answering questions and working in groups more often.

John Collings, of the council's children's services department, said: "With another Ofsted inspection due next year, it is important to consolidate the gains made and then build on them to raise standards in school further."