AN INFANT school in Popley put on a day to remember for students after receiving an 'outstanding' Ofsted rating.

Marnel Infant School put on a fun fair for pupils on Friday, May 19, consisting of bouncy castles, a mega slide, a helter-skelter, inflatable cars, a lifting paratrooper and a merry-go-round. The event was hosted on the field outside Marnel Junior School.

The school was inspected on March 21 and March 22 and on May 19 the education watchdog published a report on the inspection which revealed that the school has been rated as 'outstanding'.

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The areas that are inspected are the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision. The school was also rated as 'outstanding' in its previous inspection.

Pupils were allowed a non-school uniform day, and the event was organised free of charge to parents. All attractions, other than the bouncy castles, were provided by Walls Fun Fair, based in Hook. 

Dame Maria Miller MP said: "It is fantastic to hear Marnel Infants have been recognised as outstanding by Ofsted. My visits to the school and conversations with staff and pupils have always been inspiring, particularly the opening of a new library in 2017, where it was clear parents also shared their passion for the best education. Marnel Infants is one of a handful of schools in the county recognised as achieving the very highest levels."

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The children spent the day going on the rides, before evaluating which was their favourite and why. They then had the opportunity to design their own fairground ride, which was shared with Walls Fun Fair.

Headteacher Susan Giles-Cox, said: "We are delighted with the inspection outcome. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the whole staff team. We are well supported by the parental body, the school governors as well as the wider community of Popley.

"The children are an absolute credit to the school and their families. The inspectors described their behaviour as ‘exemplary’ and their academic achievements and progress as ‘impressive’. We are pleased that the report reflects not just what we did on the two days of the inspection, but what we do every day."