AS the Bishop of Leeds came to admire St Stephen's new building, Ofsted inspectors declared the Skipton school "very good".

The Right Rev Arthur Roche visited on Wednesday to see the new facilities and unveil a plaque.

After a mass at St Stephen's Church, he was given a tour of the school, allowing him to chat with pupils.

The Bishop told the Herald that the school was a credit to the Catholic community in the area.

Headteacher Peter Thompson said it had been a privilege to welcome the Bishop, along with other visitors such as town mayor Coun Marcia Turner and former headteachers.

The school's Ofsted report states it has very good leadership and teaching, with pupils fully included in all aspects.

It also revealed that attainment was well above average, there was good provision for pupils' personal development and good links with parents.

"When compared with schools nationally and to those in similar circumstances, the 2003 results at the end of year two were well above average and there was a high percentage of pupils attaining the higher level three.

"The school has worked hard to improve skills in mathematics where standards dipped in 2002. The success of the work done can be seen in the results for 2003 which were in the top five per cent in the country," it continued.

Weaknesses highlighted were the long-term targets set in English and maths and vague individual plans for pupils with special educational needs.

The inspectors also said that the new classrooms would offer even better opportunities for practical work.

Chairman of the governors Peter Marshall said that he was "over the moon" with the report, which was a real tribute to the school, especially as the inspection was carried out when construction work has just started.

He added that he was pleased the inspectors had pointed out how the school included all pupils.