STAFF at Eggar's School began the new term in celebratory mood following an excellent Ofsted report coupled with the best GCSE results they have ever had.

On the first day back (before the children returned) they cracked open a bottle of bubbly to toast their success.

Despite last week's fire, nothing could dampen the spirit of optimism sweeping through the school which has been through a hard time but has worked hard to rebuild its reputation as a centre of educational excellence.

A July Ofsted Inspection has resulted in Eggar's being proclaimed "a very good school" and, as reported in last week's Alton Herald, this year's GCSE results were first rate with 73 per cent of Eggar's year 11 pupils achieving five or more passes at A* to C grades, 20 per cent being at A or A*.

To top it all, next Wednesday a life-size rocket will be transported to the school grounds to celebrate the launch of Eggar's Specialist Science with Maths Status. It will be accompanied by members of the Starchaser Project, including TV celebrity Johnny Ball, who will spend the day putting fun and challenge into maths and science workshops.

With improvements already made to the school buildings and a new sports hall and IT facility on the way, Eggar's, it seems, is on the up.

According to headteacher Felicity Martin, the Ofsted inspectors were unanimous in awarding Grade 1, the highest accolade, to the major elements of their July inspection.

Heading the team, HM Inspector Steffi Penny, reported that she was impressed by all aspects of life in the school which they regarded as a reflection of the 'enthusiasm and commitment of the headteacher', Felicity Martin.

In fact, the report stated that "the quality of leadership and management at all levels is very good." The impact of leadership means "pupils reach standards which are well above average at the end of both Key Stage 3 and in their GCSEs".

This Ofsted inspection was apparently undertaken as a pilot for the new arrangements for inspection announced by Ofsted last February. The inspectors were all registered HMIs (Her Majesty's Inspectors) so the pupils, staff and procedures at Eggar's were scrutinised rigorously.

"Eggar's teaching staff have always encouraged pupils to enjoy their educational opportunities so were pleased to note that the inspectors recognised they 'challenge the pupils and use a suitable range of strategies to excite and engage them'," said Mrs Martin.

The report also stated that at Eggar's "the school takes very good care of its pupils" and furthermore "they appreciate the exceptional support and guidance and seek to repay this by their service to the school".

A key focus of the inspection was the academic achievement of pupils, particularly with regard to GCSE results. Ofsted reported that pupils make very good progress in public examinations, a conclusion substantiated by this year's success rate.

Capacity to improve even further was found to be "very good" and so, said Mrs Martin: "Eggar's is looking forward to excellence in examination for all its year groups in the future."

She was particularly delighted with the Ofsted summary which stated: "Pupils enjoy coming to Eggar's School and rightly believe it is a very good school which cares for them, supports and promotes their learning and rewards their efforts.'

• The full Ofsted report is available now on the Ofsted website.