A DORSET headteacher is preparing to sign off in style after his school scored top marks in a recent Ofsted report.

Tom Leech is stepping down as head of Milborne St Andrew First School at the end of the school year after more than 12 years at the helm.

He is leaving the school in good shape, with it rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors.

The inspector’s report states: “Milborne St Andrew is an outstanding school in which pupils make excellent progress in both their academic and personal development.

“Pupils love coming to the school because of the high quality education and care they receive.”

The report adds: “Pupils develop into exceptionally mature and thoughtful young people.

“This is especially evident in the way they work and play very happily together and commit themselves to their work.”

The report also praised the staff of the school, reserving particular praise for Mr Leech.

It said: “Staff are very skilled at pinpointing exactly where any individual child has difficulties in learning and at putting in place especially effective strategies to address this.”

The report added: “The headteacher is an outstanding leader, who is particularly successful in encouraging and nurturing staff to achieve their full potential.

“As a result, all make a major contribution to school development.”

Milborne St Andrew received a grade one ‘outstanding’ score for ‘overall effectiveness’ and received the same top grade for nearly all categories in the inspection.

Mr Leech said: “In my final term as a headteacher I am very proud that every area of school life has been judged outstanding by Ofsted.

“I am especially pleased that the report recognises the significant contribution every member of staff makes towards the school’s overall excellence and the exceptional academic and emotional progress made by all pupils.”