Staff and pupils at a village school are celebrating after Ofsted inspectors gave it a new ‘Good’ rating.
The grading means All Saints Academy in Stoke Ferry, part of the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust (DEMAT), has risen from its previous rating of ‘Requires Improvement’ which had been in place since 2017.
Ofsted inspectors, who visited All Saints for two days in April, rated the school as ‘Good’ in every available category as well as ‘Good’ overall.
Katherine Howe, headteacher at All Saints Academy, told Your Local Paper and the Lynn News:"This report reflects how hard all our staff and pupils work to achieve their very best in a nurturing learning environment.
“I could not be prouder of our entire staff and wonderful children. It is clear that we have come a long way together and vastly improved the quality of education that our pupils receive.
“The school is in a very strong position now and the whole community deserves this Good Ofsted rating.
“Thank you to our parents, carers, and our whole school community for their ongoing support which we all greatly appreciate.”
Mrs Howe said the school was particularly pleased how the report highlighted that:
· Pupils know the school has high expectations for them.
· Children in Reception get the support they need to get off to a good start.
· Pupils listen to their teachers, are enthusiastic about their learning and typically behave well.
· Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe.
· The school has designed an exciting and ambitious curriculum.
· Pupils with SEND receive the support they need.
· Pupils enjoy reading.
·The school provides opportunities for pupils to become responsible citizens.
Inspectors said in their report: “The school has designed an exciting and ambitious curriculum. This makes clear the knowledge pupils should learn and when they should learn it.
“It typically prepares pupils well for the next stage of education, both from early years to Year 1 and Year 6 to secondary education.”
Inspectors praised the school for ensuring that, in most subjects, staff have the expertise to teach the curriculum well and pupils learn what teachers intend.
They noted that “a few areas of the curriculum” were at an earlier stage of development and pupils are not always set work that helps them achieve what they should. This leads to staff not always knowing when pupils have misunderstood.
Inspectors said pupils enjoy and “develop a love of” reading. Those who are falling behind are given help to quickly catch up, meaning all pupils make progress.
“Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as other pupils and, consequently, they achieve well from their starting points,” said the report.
David Barrett, hub director at DEMAT, added: “We are delighted that the hard work and dedication of the All Saints staff and school community has been recognised through their inspection outcome.
“The excellent leadership and the improvements made to the curriculum mean that the school is providing a great education for its pupils.”