Academy rated as ‘good’ at first ever Ofsted inspection

A Spalding academy has been rated as good in its first ever Ofsted inspection.

 

Wygate Park Academy, Witham Road, received the rating in each of the five key areas looked at by inspectors.

 

“The headteacher, trust and local governing body have successfully established a culture of high expectations among pupils and staff,” the report, which was published on Friday, says.

 

“The drive and commitment of leaders and staff result in a good quality of education. Most pupils do well in a range of subjects.

 

“The new headteacher, other leaders and staff have created a school culture that is caring and ambitious. Staff morale is high and a ‘can do’ ethos permeates the school,” said lead inspector John Lawson in his report.

 

Wygate Park opened in 2014 and is a primary school for children aged from four to 11. It had no Year Six pupils at the time of inspection, at the end of June.

 

It is part of the Boston Witham Academies Federation and headteacher Craig Early took up his role permanently in February.

 

There were 135 children on the roll and it is classed as being smaller than the average-sized primary.

 

Pupils are praised for their good behaviour around the school and the report says they ‘enjoy their learning.’

 

But the inspector highlights attendance as a potential issue.

 

“Attendance is improving, but it is still too low for many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged,” the report says.

 

Teachers also need to consistently plan lessons to challenge the most able pupils in writing and maths, said the inspector.

 

“From starting points often below those expected for their age, most children make good progress and achieve will in the early years,” the report concludes.

 

The school has higher than the national average of pupils with English as a second language but the proportion of ‘disadvantaged’ students is below average.

 

A Crowland primary school recently inspected by Ofsted ‘requires improvement.’

 

South View Community Primary School achieved two good results out of the five key areas.

 

Headteacher Joanne Tomlins came in for special praise from the inspection team which visited in June.

 

But overall the inspection team deemed the Postland Road school with 395 pupils, ‘requires improvement.’

 

“The highly committed headteacher, ably supported by senior leaders, works tirelessly to improve the quality of teaching. She has high expectations, makes the best use of staff expertise and strives for staffing stability,” says the report.

 

But significant changes to staffing have slowed previous plans and prevented the school from moving on rapidly.

 

Personal development, behaviour and welfare was rated good, as was early years provision. “Pupils know about the value of respect and tolerance and how to demonstrate them,” the report remarks.

 

“The newly introduced breakfast club and ‘walking bus’ encourage punctuality and provide a positive start to the school day,” it adds.

 

But in order to improve, a number of issues need addressing, including making sure teachers build well on what pupils already know and do.

 

Standards could also be improved with a consistent approach to teaching phonics, building number skills and reinforcing what pupils learn about spelling whenever they write, says the report.

 

“The headteacher and senior leaders know how well the school is doing and what needs to improve.”