A WINTERBOURNE school has been praised for leaving “no stone unturned” in its drive to improve standards.
An inspector from Ofsted visited Elm Park Primary School, in Nicholls Lane in February.
The regulator no longer gives one-word overall ratings for routine inspections but said that Elm Park, which has 185 pupils aged from four to 11 on its roll, is maintaining the standards identified during the last visit in 2019, when it was rated ‘good’ in all areas.
Inspector Tonwen Empson said: “Elm Park Primary School is all about kindness. Pupils experience kindness and respect from staff and each other each day.
“A tangible family ethos ripples through the life of the school. Each day starts with a warm welcome and kind words.”
She said pupils are inspired by the experiences and activities created to ensure learning is “interesting and relevant”, including ‘bang’ days to kick-start a topic and ‘wow’ days to show what they have learned.
The inspector said most pupils achieve well, adding: “The school leaves no stone unturned as staff continue to drive forward standards. They are driven by the vision of ‘inspiring, enriching and achieving’.”
The report says the school has “an accurate understanding of strengths and areas to improve [with] staff determined that every pupil will achieve the very best”.
It has redesigned its curriculum to develop pupils’ understanding from Reception class up, and has changed its approach to teaching phonics to ensure every pupil, including those with special educational needs or disabilities, will learn to read.
The inspector said: “The school carefully checks how successfully pupils are improving early reading skills. Fewer pupils need extra catch up due to the successful programmes now in place.”
The report says staff are confident in their knowledge of the curriculum and “provide clear explanations and models” for pupils, with particularly skilled support for pupils with SEND.
School ‘sits firmly and proudly at the heart of the local community’
Improved engagement with parents, who now have “frequent opportunities to engage in the life of the school”, were highlighted.
The inspector said: “The school sits firmly and proudly at the heart of the local community.”
To further improve, Ofsted said the school should continue work to improve learning and quality of handwriting to make sure it is consistent and more pupils become confident writers, including those unable to write legibly and comfortably at length.
Head teacher Carol Bond said: “We are incredibly proud of the report, which recognises the ongoing kindness, dedication, passion, and hard work of our staff, pupils, and wider school community.
“The report highlights the nurturing and ambitious environment we have created, ensuring that every child is supported to thrive both academically and personally.”
“We are focused on further enriching our Connected Curriculum, providing even more opportunities for our children to explore, learn, and grow.”
Picture: Carol Bond and deputy head Sarah Lugg with Year 2 children at Elm Park