Staff and pupils at Blackhorse Primary School in Emersons Green are celebrating after being rated ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors.
During their visit last month, inspectors found that the South Gloucestershire primary school “has improved significantly and is now a good school.”
Acting Headteacher, Philip Winterburn, said: “This is a fantastic result for Blackhorse which recognises the huge commitment and hard work of the staff, children and families. To have Ofsted confirm that we are a solidly good school is a moment of huge pride for everyone associated with the school.”
Many areas of good practice were highlighted, including the pupils’ behaviour which was praised by inspectors as “good and sometimes outstanding” as a result of “positive relationships between staff, parents and carers.”
Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception Year) were found to, “settle quickly, making a good start to their education.” It was also observed that, “as a result of the effective teamwork, good leadership and well-organised, imaginative teaching, children (in Reception) become happy and confident, making good progress in lessons.”
Teaching was judged to be ‘good and occasionally outstanding” with the inspectorate recognising how, “staff deploy their good subject knowledge well to provide good support and challenge for all groups of pupils.” The impact of good teaching on progress was also acknowledged with pupils going on to “make good progress in their learning in lessons and relative to their starting point.”
The school’s leadership and management received praise for their work in driving up standards, with the acting headteacher providing “clear, open and honest leadership for the school.” The support of leaders at all levels was also recognised and “the commitment to professional and personal development of leaders and managers at all levels plays a significant role in embedding and driving improvement across the school.”
The tenacity of the school’s governors who “care deeply about the quality of education pupils receive and are involved in monitoring the school’s work through visits to lessons and presentations from staff” was also singled out.
Chair of Governors, Sarah Hudson, said: “We are delighted that the school has achieved a very solid “good” judgement from Ofsted. This reflects the tremendous effort by all of the teaching and non-teaching staff at the school who have worked tirelessly particularly over the last twelve months to place the school on the pathway to outstanding. This is a significant achievement and confirms what the governing body believes that the school has the capacity to be one of the best, if not the best, primary school in South Gloucestershire. Thanks must also go to the children and the families/carers who are supporting the schools initiatives.”
Inspectors asked the school to now focus on their national and international links and the way children apply their learning to the world at large.
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
