Inspectors have heaped praise on a junior school after a recent visit uncovered the strong progress pupils were making.

Whybridge Junior School, Blacksmith’s Lane, Rainham, was rated overall as ‘good’ after being inspected last month for the first time since 2012.

The education watchdog pointed out how the school has managed to overcome difficulties in recruiting “good-quality staff” with those now in Year 5 making up for “lost time” with new teachers hired.

Inspector Brian Oppenheim said: “Pupils’ achievements by the end of Year 6 are strong, especially in reading and mathematics, where their progress is impressive.

“This is true for the most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and the most able disadvantaged.

“Attendance continues to improve year-on-year and is close to the average.

“This is because there are effective systems for identifying patterns and following up poor attendance quickly.”

The report also noted how boys tend to still perform less well than girls but the gap is said to be “diminishing rapidly”.

Ofsted has challenged the school moving forward to improve teaching in writing, so that all staff have the “same high expectations of what pupils are able to achieve”.