FROEBELIAN School in Horsforth has been judged excellent in an inspector's report.

The school has won high praise in the report by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which praises the pupils' attitudes to learning as exceptional and their communication skills as outstanding.

The school was founded in 1913 with the distinctive name adopted by the founder Miss L. Hoe, in honour of the then influential German educationalist, Freidrich Froebel. Froebel pioneered early years’ learning and the school still follows this tradition, educating children from the age of three years.

For Educational Quality, the inspection team focused on two areas - the quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements, and the quality of pupils’ personal development.

Headteacher Catherine Dodds said: "We are thrilled that we have been judged as 'excellent' in both these areas; this is the highest judgement available from the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The inspectors have accurately captured the essence of Froebelian in their narrative and were struck by the children’s high levels of academic performance, their attitudes to learning and the quality, breadth and depth of their personal development. We are incredibly proud of our pupils and the report is an absolute credit to them."

She added: "I would like to thank the pupils for their exemplary behaviour, and continuous effort, energy and engagement with their learning; without them we would not have received such a glowing report. I am also grateful to all staff and governors for their hard work prior to and during the inspection, and to the parents for their invaluable input and support. The school motto of 'Giving a flying start to the citizens of tomorrow' sums up our determination to provide the best possible start to lifelong education."