A primary school described as happy and caring achieved a ‘good’ inspection rating for a second time since its conversion to an academy.
Long Bennington Church of England Academy became an academy in 2012 and has been graded as good overall in February 2019 and April 2024.
The pupils at the school, part of the Infinity Academies Trust, are said to enjoy going to the school and understand the importance of upholding the school’s values of love, joy, respect, resilience, service and justice.
The school was recognised for its understanding of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and that these pupils received extra help from the staff in order to learn the same curriculum as their peers.
It was also said that the school promotes pupil’s personal development effectively and that they have a strong understanding of the world and different cultures, beliefs and lifestyles.
Headteacher David Nicholson said: “I am so proud of everyone in our school community for the hard work and dedication that has led to this fantastic inspection outcome. It was great to see Ofsted acknowledge our pupils’ wonderful behaviour and enthusiasm for learning.
“Making sure we develop the ‘whole child’ through well thought-out enrichment and personal development opportunities is something we strongly believe in as a means of preparing children for the future. We want our pupils not just to do well academically, but to thrive and flourish as individuals.”
The school’s curriculum was described as strong, broad and enriching in almost all subjects. However, Ofsted pointed out that a small number of curriculum plans do not clearly identify the key knowledge to be taught in all subjects — highlighting that as a way to improve to boost skills and knowledge for pupils.
The Ofsted report noted that the school offered a wide range of experiences available and said leaders made reading a high priority in the pupils’ education.
Gavin Booth, CEO at Infinity Academies Trust, added: “While inspection reports are not the only measure of success for a school, everyone in the Long Bennington community should rightly be proud of all they have achieved.
“I look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength as they continue on their journey.”
