Peterborough primary school 'delighted' with Good Ofsted rating
Highlees Primary School has been rated as Good for the third consecutive inspection.
A Peterborough Principal has expressed his delight at his school’s ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection.
Chris Venables, who has recently taken over as the Principal of Highlees Primary School, said that it was an exciting time to join the school after it received a Good rating from the education regulator.
A report, following an inspection in June, praised the school’s curriculum and its support for children with special educational needs.
The report stated: “Pupils thrive at Highlees Primary School. Pupils behave well and trust adults to help them with any problems they might have.
"They enjoy their well-organised playtimes, where they play with pupils from across the school and take part in many different activities. Pupils know how to stay safe, including when online.
"The curriculum has recently been redeveloped to raise pupils’ ambitions and the expectations of them.
“The school has designed a well-considered and organised curriculum, which provides opportunities for pupils to revisit their learning. This begins from the early years, where children develop their curiosity and interest in learning. Pupils make links and remember what they have learned before.
"From early years, the school has developed a phonics programme to raise the priority of learning to read. All teachers are well trained and follow the agreed approach consistently well.
"Teachers carefully identify what pupils know. They provide effective support for those pupils who find reading difficult. The books that pupils read closely match the sounds that they know. This means that pupils practise what they already know and attempt unfamiliar words with confidence.
"Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support they need. Staff are well trained to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Where pupils need a more individual approach to the curriculum, staff ensure pupils are well supported so they access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.
“The school prioritises pupils’ social, emotional and welfare needs from the moment pupils start school.”
In order to improve towards the top rating of Outstanding, Ofsted noted that the school could expand its enrichment offering to ensure that “pupils’ enrichment includes experiences that would deepen learning in line with the planned curriculum” as well as continuing to develop assessment of where there are gaps in the understanding of its pupils.
Principal Venables said: “We are delighted with the report from our recent inspection which highlighted Highlees is a school where children thrive and staff feel proud to work at.
"It is an exciting time to join Highlees as Principal and I am looking forward to being part of the school community.”