A primary school in one of the country's worst-performing education authorities has been hailed as a beacon of excellence.

Victoria Infant School in Tipton, Sandwell, was judged "outstanding" and among "the best in the country" by Ofsted inspectors.

A letter to the school's 310 youngsters told them they were "really lucky" to be pupils at the school.

Their report says: "This is an outstanding school where high expectations, enjoyment, teamwork and a passionate belief that all children can achieve well are the hallmarks of its undoubted success".

Inspectors also highlighted good behaviour and praised the school's head Anne Evans as "an inspirational leader" who received "exceptional support" from senior leaders.

The "outstanding" judgment puts Victoria Infants into a category awarded to only a handful of schools each year.

The achievement is all the more significant given that Sandwell routinely suffers the unwanted title of being bottom of the table for educational performance.

Last year's league table results placed Sandwell 144th out of the country's 150 LEAs for primary school performance based on the results of SAT exams taken by 11-year-olds.

The situation was not much better for GCSE results. The authority, which has some of the highest deprivation levels in the country, was last year placed 145th for the proportion of 16-year-olds hitting the benchmark five or more good A* to Cs.

Headteacher Anne Evans said: "Governors, staff and parents of the school are both proud and delighted that the high quality of education provided for the children has been acknowledged and recognised by Ofsted."

Councillor Ian Jones (Lab Tipton), Sandwell Council's cabinet member for schools & lifelong learning, claimed Victoria Infants was an "excellent school with staff and governors providing first class leadership and support for each other".

Ofsted inspectors described the quality of teaching at the school as "outstanding" and having a "significant and positive impact on the children's learning".

The report says pupils "achieve extremely well and many make exceptional progress".

Provision for children with learning difficulties and disabilities was also found to be outstanding.

The report adds: "Teachers' high expectations of children's behaviour and of their academic progress ensure that achievement over time is excellent.

"A relentless pursuit of high standards and achievement and the development of well-rounded, confident young people are shown clearly and consistently in the school's day-to-day work."

The only room for improvement inspectors found was in attendance rates and the development of parents' participation in their children's learning.

Meanwhile, Sandwell College has been given a year to improve after a damning Ofsted report.