‘Happy’ Kettering primary school retains outstanding Ofsted grading
Staff and pupils at a Kettering primary school have celebrated retaining their outstanding Ofsted grading after a recent inspection.
Greenfields Primary School and Nursery underwent an ‘ungraded inspection’ – a routine follow-up inspection to determine whether schools have taken ‘effective action’ to maintain the standards identified previously in January 2020.
Although Ofsted no longer issues single word judgements, Greenfields Primary, part of the David Ross Education Trust, has maintained its outstanding rating, under the old inspection framework.
Sandra Appleby, headteacher of Greenfields Primary and Nursery school, said: “I am delighted to share this fantastic report with our parents and carers - it is a tremendous achievement and we are hugely grateful for the support of our whole school community.
"I am so pleased that the Ofsted report reflects our safe, happy and respectful children, our brilliant teaching staff and vibrant curriculum.
“Together we remain committed to providing an outstanding education for all our pupils.”
In the report, inspectors noted ‘pupils are firmly at the heart’ of the school with staff ‘ambitious for all its pupils to flourish and succeed’ adding that pupils ‘thrive socially and academically within the school’s positive ethos’.
Other highlights included:
– Pupils ‘achieve highly’ from an engaging and inspiring curriculum that is both ‘ambitious and taught well’
– The school has a ‘welcoming and inclusive environment’ where ‘pupils feel safe and supported by staff’, noting the ‘positive and respectful behaviour’ between pupils
– Many parents ‘would recommend the school to others’ and appreciate the wide range of opportunities given to pupils to ‘learn beyond the classroom and develop wider interests.’
– Parents also appreciate the ‘kindness and care’ given to children from nursery right through to the end of Year 6, with inspectors highlighting the ‘strong start’ to their learning journey.
– ‘Teachers' subject knowledge is strong’ using their ‘expertise to explain new knowledge’ skilfully.
– The report also highlights an ‘unwavering determination’ to develop excellent readers at school, with pupils ‘immersed in high-quality reading experiences’.
The inspection team also observed that the school is ‘relentlessly ambitious’ for both disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and meets their needs.
Simon Rose, deputy CEO and director of primary education for David Ross Education Trust (DRET), said: “Many congratulations to Sandra and her whole team at Greenfields.
"This report demonstrates the clear ambition from the leadership team at school for every pupil to thrive within the school’s positive ethos.”