A primary school is celebrating after Ofsted found it had made improvements.
Hogarth Primary School in Brentwood was rated as 'requires improvement' two years ago, but has now been judged 'good' in all areas by Ofsted, which found 'outstanding' personal development.
The turnaround follows its takeover by the Discovery Educational Trust and the appointment of headteacher Rob Watson.
Mr Watson said: "Our children were absolutely incredible.
"We did not get to choose the children the inspectors spoke to, but each child held Hogarth up as a shining light.
"They were absolutely a credit to the school."
Ofsted described the school as a place where "pupils thrive".
Inspectors found children to be "happy and safe," achieving highly, and well-prepared for the next stage of their education.
Improvements found since the last inspection include a new staff team, higher SATs results, better attendance, and increased applications.
School trips and sports events have also been reintroduced for all pupils.
Ofsted praised the "interesting and well-considered curriculum," and noted that teachers "identify pupils’ additional needs promptly and accurately".
The report also highlighted a "safe and nurturing environment" in early years, with calm lessons and rare disruption.
Mr Watson credited the wider school community for the rapid progress.
He said: "None of this could have happened without our families and our staff.
"Two years ago, 80 per cent of our staff were brand new – each and every one of them have stepped up to the plate."
Plans are already in place to address areas for further improvement, the school said.
Ofsted found that sometimes activities "do not allow pupils to deepen their understanding" and pupils "do not secure the important knowledge as well as they could".
It added: "The school does not effectively identify and address key gaps in some pupils’ foundational knowledge of handwriting and spelling.
"This limits pupils’ ability to write with accuracy and clarity."
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Mr Watson said the school "will definitely not rest on our laurels".
"We will be further embedding our new curriculum and making writing our next focus.
"There were a lot of holes when we started two years ago and we have had to fill them logically, so reading had to come before writing."
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