A TIDWORTH primary school that 'turned its fortunes around' has announcement it has increased its pupil numbers by 40 per cent.

Zouch Academy now has 291 children on roll and the school is the largest it has been for a number of years

More expected to join further into this term and following last year’s Ofsted rating as 'good' it is also the best it has ever been in the past nine years.

Principal Nina Johnson said: “Our latest results have been great and when new families come in and visit the school they see the excellent teaching and learning that our pupils receive.

“We receive a lot of comments from our parents about how friendly and approachable everyone is at Zouch and that there is a lot going on above and beyond what the pupils are doing in the classroom to ensure they’re receiving an excellent education and that pastoral care helps them outside of the classroom too.

“Due to Tidworth being a garrison town, we have many students who join and leave our school due to their parents’ postings.

"Ensuring a good transition is an important aspect of what we offer here at the school and we have a dedicated member of staff, Mrs Clark, who works with pupils and their families to make sure coming to Zouch is a smooth and easy process.

“Our commitment to a values based education sets us apart too.

"Since becoming part of The White Horse Federation in 2014, we’ve adopted this approach as a core element of our school and you can really see a change in everyone due to this.”

Tidworth Academy became part of The White Horse Federation (TWHF) in 2014 in order to raise standards as it had previously been rated as ‘requiring improvement’.

TWHF is a multi-academy trust responsible for 18 schools across Wiltshire, Swindon, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Simon Cowley, director of primary education for TWHF, said: “Zouch Academy has turned its fortunes around in a relatively small amount of time since becoming part of TWHF.

"Pupil achievement is rising rapidly and last year’s Ofsted report demonstrated that the changes that were needed have been put in place.

“Our Primary School Improvement Team have worked closely with Zouch in order to improve the teaching and learning at Zouch and we’re pleased that they are now working with other schools in the Trust in order to share their learning and help raise standards across the region.”