The Bishop of Oxford officially opened a primary school whose buildings and academic standards have been transformed.

Church Cowley St James Primary School received a blessing from the Rt Rev Richard Harries at the event, which marked the school's transition from a first school to a primary.

A total of 23 first schools across the city will become primaries as part of the re-organisation of education in Oxford.

The schools have all benefited from work to improve their facilities and to accommodate extra pupils from the closing middle schools.

Pupils at Church Cowley St James will be able to use a new library, four classrooms and an entrance porch which have been built as part of the transition. The school will have 120 extra children by September.

At the the blessing ceremony, parents, ex pupils and residents had the chance to look around the new facilities and see an exhibition of children's work prepared for the occasion.

Children also staged a performance which took an audience, including governors and representatives of Oxfordshire County Council, through the school's history, from the 50s onwards. The pupils highlighted world, local and school events through music and song.

For headteacher Margot Buller the opening marked the end as well as the beginning of an era because she will leave the school this July after four-and-a-half years in the job.

When she first arrived at the school, its low academic standards were a cause for concern to the council. However the school recently received a glowing Ofsted report and two school achievement awards.

She said: "We turned it around by doing a lot of decoration, to say to the children that we'll give them the best and we expect the best in return.

"We also raised expectations of everybody there and tried to grow on the good things that were already there."