A string of successes at Pewsey Primary School has prompted the decision by the governing body to convert it to an academy.

It follows a consultation with parents, staff and local agencies and school governors hope the school will be an academy by April.

Chairman of governors Peter McGuigan said: “This will mean no real difference for the children; the school name, uniform and the staff will not change and the school remains a state school.

“Being an academy will give the school the opportunity to decide the very best learning for our children rather than having to follow outside policies and of course we will continue to teach to the national standards in reading, writing and maths.”

Its academy status has been approved by Education Minister Michael Gove after it showed sustained improvement in the last three years. The school was in the top four per cent of the Department of Education performance tables for primary schools.

Headteacher Nicola Gilbert said: “What I am most pleased about is 100 per cent of the children reached or exceeded their potential in all areas measured in the Year 6 SATs in reading, writing and maths.”

The school is also included in the top 100 most improved schools in England in a list to be published by the Government Initiatives IQ.

Mr McGuigan said: “This is really exciting news for the school. We are very proud of the children and their achievements, as well as all the staff.

“The value added statistics, which show how much progress each child has made whilst at the school, means we are ranked second in the whole of Wiltshire.”