Staff and pupils at Spalding St Paul’s Primary School are delighted to share that they have been rated ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ in Leadership and Management, following an inspection from Ofsted.
Ofsted inspected the school in June reporting that “Spalding St Paul’s Primary is caring and supportive of all pupils. Staff and pupils said that the school has improved significantly. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve and how they should behave.”
Ofsted spoke to the pupils, who said “Pupils feel safe at school. They know there are staff they can talk to if they are worried about anything. They said that teachers make lessons interesting, and they are well supported.” Ofsted commented that “Pupils have a range of opportunities to be involved in school life. For example, they enjoy being part of the eco-club, reading buddies and class representatives. They also attend various extra-curricular activities. Many pupils make good use of these. They enjoy attending football, choir, computing club and fitness.”
Ofsted reported that “The school has significantly improved the curriculum offered to pupils. There is an ambitious, broad and well-planned curriculum in place. The school continually reviews the curriculum to ensure that it meets pupils’ needs.” They went on to say that “Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. The school is committed to ensuring that every pupil has the knowledge and skills to read fluently and confidently. Pupils start to learn to read as soon as they start in school. Staff are experts in teaching phonics.”
Ofsted also included that “The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff adapt their teaching and use carefully selected resources so that these pupils can access the curriculum and achieve well.”
“Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported and benefit from high-quality professional development. Leaders at all levels are committed to ensuring that pupils get the best education possible. They have taken highly effective action to improve all areas of the school. The Trust and those responsible for governance provide excellent support.”
Selina Ratchford, Headteacher said:
“I am incredibly proud. All our children and parents should also be proud of how well the report reads and reflects the excellent education the children receive. They work hard, are kind and happy in school and the inspection team saw this first hand, along with our well skilled staff in action. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team for all their incredible hard work. They deliver day in, and day out, providing our pupils with a high-quality education.”
Peter Bell, CEO for CIT Academies, added:
“We were delighted when St Paul’s joined the Trust in 2020. Over the last 4 years, the Trust has invested heavily improving the learning environment, and the school staff have worked tirelessly to achieve this amazing result of a Good Ofsted with Outstanding in Leadership. To put this into context, since Ofsted was formed in 1992, St Paul’s has never been graded better than satisfactory/requires improvement, so to achieve their recent result, is a huge achievement.”
