A HEADTEACHER has been praised for taking swift action to turn around his school.

Lincewood Primary School, in Berry Lane, Langdon Hills, was ordered to improve at the end of last year because of below-average results, the low expectations of pupils and poor marking.

Fast forward 11 months and the school had been rated good by Ofsted and headteacher Tim Eastwell believes it is only going to get better.

He said the Basildon Excellence Panel, which was set up earlier this year to drive up standards at primary schools across the town, has been a huge inspiration.

Mr Eastwell added: “All of the staff have put in a lot of hard work. It’s about the whole school community working together, and we’ve got very supportive parents.

“We’ve really hit the ground running over the past 11 months.

After the last inspection we got to work tackling all the issues, and we’ve got back to good very quickly.

“We’ve been working closely with the Basildon Excellence Panel and that’s been a big help.

It’s about schools teaming up and sharing advice.”

The panel, made up of a team of teachers, councillors and business leaders, wants to see all 18 participating schools rated good or outstanding by summer 2016.

The scheme, which is chaired by Sir Mike Tomlinson, a former Ofsted chief inspector, is a joint effort between Basildon Council and Essex County Council.

Ofsted inspector Karen Heath praised Lincewood, which currently has 418 pupils on its roll, for creating a safe environment for pupils, offering a lively curriculum, closely monitoring progress and building strong relationships between staff and pupils. She said: “The school has made rapid improvement since its last inspection.

“Leaders have encouraged a sense of ambition in pupils and this had led to a can-do atmosphere, where all are keen to do their best and behave well.

“The drive to accelerate pupils’ progress is led purposefully by senior leaders and their commitment is shared by all teaching and non-teaching staff.

“The school has successfully collaborated with other schools to improve the skills of teachers and leaders.

“It has actively sought external support to ensure it has been on the right track during its journey of improvement.”