Ofsted inspectors clearly recognised that leaders, including the Active Learning Trust and Governors, are demonstrating the right capacity to make improvements. Ratings of ‘Good’ were achieved within personal development, behaviour and welfare and in the early years provision. It was also noted that the actions of the school over the past year have led to significant gains in attainment in 2017 for the Year 6 children.
The pupils who met with inspectors spoke enthusiastically about their love of writing in humanities and participation in physical education. The arrangements for safeguarding were recognised as being effective with all of the necessary checks being made during recruitment.
Martyn Payne, Headteacher at Pakefield Primary School, said “As a school, our priority over the past three years has been to create a learning environment where children are proud to be part of a vibrant community, feel safe and supported and grow in confidence in their learning.
“Our curriculum and enrichment programme was recognised as a strength, which provides children with a broad range of learning experiences. Due to the strong leadership at Pakefield Primary School, the learning in early years is recognised as ‘Good’ and enables children to settle quickly and enjoy the school. Behaviour was noted as consistently good across the school and our children who met with the inspectors were described as excellent ambassadors for the school.
“The school has made a lot of progress since the last Ofsted inspection and we are in a good place to continue our improvement journey. We are confident that the next inspection report will reflect this progress.”
The inspector commented: “The school is well maintained, warm and tidy. It provides a welcoming, nurturing environment in which to learn. The school’s caring and supportive ethos is valued highly by pupils, their parents and carers. Pupils say it is a really friendly place, and that they feel very safe in school.”
The report continues: “It is an inclusive school. Staff go out of their way to welcome pupils with different needs. Pupils feel free from bullying and the school’s anti-bullying week has raised their awareness of different types of bullying and what to do to prevent it.”
The headline judgment is that the overall effectiveness of the school ‘Requires Improvement’ however ratings of ‘Good’ were achieved within personal development, behaviour and welfare and in the early years provision.
Gary Peile, Chief Executive of Active Learning Trust, commented: “Pakefield Primary School has demonstrated so much to be proud of, however we must also take account of the specific areas where the report notes a requirement to improve, which we are already aware of.
“I am delighted that Ofsted recognised that both the Trust and the school have the capacity to take Pakefield forward to achieving a great inspection result in the future. Robust plans, monitoring and professional development have been securely in place over the past three years to ensure the school continues to move forward. These plans take time to become fully embedded, but the school is making progress in the right direction. The Active Learning Trust remains clearly focused on learning, to ensure the very best outcomes for every child.”
For more information or to view the full report visit www.pakefieldprimaryschool.org.uk/.
