Pupils’ pride as their school is transformed to rate as ‘good’
IT WAS PUT IN SPECIAL MEASURES FOUR YEARS AGO
STAFF and pupils are celebrating after Government inspectors decided to rate a Derby primary school as “good”, four years after it was told it was “inadequate” and placed in special measures.
Breadsall Hill Top Primary School has been on a rapid journey of improvement since it joined the Transform Trust in 2017 and became an academy, just months after its poor Ofsted inspection.
In the interim, and despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, the school’s leaders and staff have continued their pursuit to improve the school, resulting in a huge boost from the latest inspection, which took place last month.
The newly-published report, which praises leaders’ efforts since the previous inspection, says that “pupils are happy and enjoy being at Breadsall”.
They told the inspectors that the school “has got much better” and that they “are proud of this”.
The report goes on to say: “Pupils enjoy learning the curriculum. They work hard in lessons. Teachers make sure that lessons are interesting and engaging. One pupil summed up many when they said: ‘Lessons are fun and I learn lots of things.’ Pupils behave well. They understand why it is important to follow the school rules.
“They enjoy earning the school rewards that are available, including the chance tokens. They know how to use the ‘zones of regulation’ to manage their own behaviour.
“They know they can ask adults for help by using the worry boxes in classes.”
The report notes that since the school opened, leaders from the multi-academy trust have put in place a leadership team “charged with driving and securing improvements to the school.”
Governors are said to provide the “right amount of challenge and support, and help leaders to bring around such improvements”.
A new programme for teaching phonics was introduced shortly before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The phonics programme sets out which sounds pupils will learn and when.
The report says that pupils learn and remember these well and that teachers “foster a love of reading”.
Pupils read a wide range of texts by different authors. They read regularly at home and at school and teachers read to pupils daily.
It was also noted that staff help pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn the school’s curriculum.
The report said: “Checks are made to ensure that the help these pupils get is working well.
“Changes are made quickly where it is not. Pupils behave well. They listen carefully to what adults say and follow instructions.
“They are polite and courteous to staff, each other and visitors. When pupils do not follow the school’s rules they get support to improve their behaviour.”
The inspection team spoke to staff and governors, as well as pupils and also took account of the 25 responses to the Ofsted parent view survey and 15 written comments from parents.
They also considered the 20 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. An inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school.
Head teacher Matt Lawrence, who joined the St Andrew’s View school in 2019, said: “I am really pleased that our school, our children and our incredible staff have been recognised for all the hard work and commitment in bringing about these high standards.
“The community should expect to send their children to a good school and the children should be entitled to attend one.
“The way that we continue to work in partnership together remains critical to ensuring that our children continue to have the very best education that they deserve.
“However, our ambition does not stop here and going forward we want to become a centre of excellence, thereby ensuring that our school continues to go from strength to strength.
“As with all schools, we have been through an incredibly challenging period and this outcome represents a remarkable achievement in the midst of both the pandemic and under a newly introduced Ofsted framework.”
The 412-pupil school needs to complete the planning of its curriculum and to make sure that all teachers are following the planned programme when teaching phonics.
Rebecca Meredith, Transform Trust chief executive, said: “Matt and his team are devoted to the children and their community, and I know they will continue to achieve great things.
“It is wonderful that Ofsted has recognised the immense effort and improvement to date, the school’s inclusive quality learning and its pupilfocussed culture which is underpinned with kindness and fun.”
The positive Ofsted report for the school comes days after nearby secondary school Da Vinci Academy was also rated as “good” for the first time ever.