School makes quick progress

Head teacher Martin Fry with some of the pupils from Ravensthorpe primary school after their recent OFSTED EMN-160103-163529009

Ravensthorpe Primary has responded to criticisms that its pupils are not achieving good enough results by impressing Ofsted inspectors on their latest visit at the end of January.

Inspectors from the regulating body now believe that the 255 pupils aged four to 11 make good progress from their different starting points in reading, writing, and maths, as well as other subjects and activities.

The school’s ‘senior leaders’ are also praised for driving forward improvements.

Martin Fry, headteacher at the school in Brigstock Court, said the positive Ofsted report was made possible “through the hard work, determination and enthusiasm of children, staff, governors and the whole school community.”

He added: “An engaging curriculum and many new systems have been implemented and reviewed on a regular basis which has led to a rise in standards and progress across school.

“The staff have worked as a team to ensure that pupils receive good support in their learning and their well being.”

Before its most recent inspection, Ravensthorpe Primary had been rated as ‘requires improvement’ after an Ofsted visit in February 2014.

Again, that was due to pupils not making consistently good progress.

Now, though, inspectors say “there has been a steady, year-on-year rise in children’s achievement since the last inspection,” despite the fact that “most children join the school with skills that are much lower than those typical for their ages in each area of learning.”

The standard of teaching is also said to have improved with staff providing good support for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, disabled or have special educational needs,”

To improve further, the school is asked to make sure that teachers always provide disabled pupils and pupils with special educational needs with tasks they find neither too easy nor too difficult, and “use every opportunity to deepen the mathematical reasoning skills of pupils at Key Stage 1.”

Mr Fry added: “We are all proud of our achievements and look forward to continuing our journey to ensure that all of our pupils ‘explore’ in their learning, ‘succeed’ in all that they do and then ‘soar’ in the future.”