Pride as inspector says village school near Corby continues to be good

A village primary school continues to be good following an inspection by Ofsted.
Pupils celebrating the results of their recent Ofsted inspectionPupils celebrating the results of their recent Ofsted inspection
Pupils celebrating the results of their recent Ofsted inspection

Cottingham CofE Primary School has retained its good Ofsted rating, with the inspector saying the school is a calm and welcoming learning environment with busy classrooms where pupils behave well and work hard.

The report added that staff are caring, modelling the school’s values well, and that teachers inspire children to learn.

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The inspector noted that standards have improved, especially in maths and phonics, with pupils saying they are proud to be part of the school community and that the school ‘feels like a big family’.

Inspector Roary Pownall wrote in his letter to the headteacher: “This school continues to be good.

“The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

“You took up your post in September 2017, following a period of turbulence in leadership.

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“Since then, you have taken a large number of clear and important steps to identify and swiftly address those aspects of provision you judged to need attention.

“You have swiftly addressed any underperformance of teaching in the school and given teachers good training to improve their skills.”

The inspector also said the curriculum is well balanced, broad and interesting for pupils, with pupils saying their lesons are both challenging and exciting, making them want to pay attention.

Following the short inspection, headteacher Ashley Scott said: “The retention of our good rating truly recognises all the hard work that has been put into education at the school since we became an academy in March 2016.

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“Staff old and new have all played a part in the school’s success and journey so far.

“Having been in this role for one full academic year now, I am delighted that the inspector has agreed with the strengths and areas for development that I have shared with him.

“The whole community should be very proud of our school and we would love to welcome new parents and their children to come and visit, especially if they are looking for September 2019 school places.”

The school’s last Ofsted inspection was in February 2014.