Primary school is rated ‘good’ for the second time
APRIMARY school, which has been praised by Government inspectors for giving reception children a ‘flying start,’ has once again been rated as ‘good.’
Ofsted visited Culmstock Primary School for a full inspection in January and inspectors were impressed with what they found, having previously given the school a ‘good’ rating in 2017.
In the report, lead inspector James Gentile said that the school was ‘good’ in every area, from the quality of education, children’s personal development and behaviour to leadership, management and the quality of early years provision.
Inspectors found pupils had a good attitude and were very proud of the school and keen to follow the ‘Culmstock Way’ – a set of values which engenders ‘care and compassion.’
Pupils know that everyone is treated equally, and they feel ‘safe’ and that parents spoke positively about recent changes to the school’s leadership.
Attendance is good and a wide range of extra-curricular clubs are on offer, and pupils are actively encouraged to set up their own clubs if they wished.
Mr Gentile said: “The school goes above and beyond to engage with the local community.
“The weekly park run, which takes pupils, parents and staff out beyond the school gates, is always well attended.”
The school leadership, he said, was ‘ambitious’ and all staff had high expectations for every pupil who they found engaged well in lessons and are ‘motivated to learn.’
He also praised their approach to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and noted that they learnt the same curriculum as other children and were ‘well supported.’
He added: “The school has prioritised reading and developing pupils’ use of language and understanding of vocabulary.
“The school now has a strong reading culture.”
Children in reception learnt phonics from day one and teachers are ‘skilled in checking pupils’ understanding of phonics before introducing new letters and sounds.’
The school has carried out a review of the curriculum and in most subjects the key knowledge and skills it wants pupils to learn has been set out.
However, the inspectors found that some subjects were more developed than others.
Martin O’mahony, executive head of the Culm Valley Federation, said: “We are delighted that our school has been rated as ‘good’ once again.
“It is a measure of all the hard work the pupils, staff and governors are doing and the support we receive from families.
“Our relationship with families and our links to the community is extremely important to us, and we look forward to continuing to build on that as the year progresses.”