A PRIMARY school which was put into special measures in 2013 has pulled off a dramatic turnaround to be named as one of the top 12 “best practice” schools in the country.

The government has selected Corringham Primary School as one of only 12 schools nationally to showcase best practice in the latest Parliamentary Review.

The accolade was awarded after school results improved a whopping six times faster than national rates of progress.

Head Lorna Hamilton said she was “delighted and very proud” to get the call, although at first she was “so surprised I thought they had got the wrong school!”

When Mrs Hamilton took over in March 2014, Ofsted had slammed the school over safety concerns, poor results and inadequate teaching.

Concerns included there being no fence between the children’s playground and a 40 ft drop into open water in the chalk pits.

After 14 out of 16 teaching staff left the school later in 2013, the school was literally, in the pits.

Key to the school’s turnaround – said Mrs Hamilton, who left a successful career in business as the Body Shop’s HR manager – was recruiting the right staff.

The school was inspected again by Ofsted in July 2015 and Mrs Hamilton said she was pleased to see two out of five ratings go up to ‘good’ – for leadership and management, early years and behaviour. Another, safety went up to ‘outstanding.’

Learning results across the school are also now “significantly above the national average,” said Mrs Hamilton.

She said: “I was just so proud that the recognition has come that the children, that the team, and the parents have pulled things together.”

Mrs Hamilton said she expects a ‘good’ rating in her next Ofsted inspection – but she is keeping her fingers crossed.