Ravensmere Infant School in Beccles is celebrating its ‘Good’ Ofsted rating, following a recent inspection. Headteacher, Ms Louise Creed has praised the whole school community and her “exceptional staff for their hard work and commitment”. 

The school has been rated as securely ‘Good’ across all five key areas within Ofsted’s framework: Quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management, and early years provision.

Inspectors praised the school, stating that “pupils thrive because of the high expectations and quality of care they receive.”

Ms Creed said: "I am delighted with this outcome and extend my heartfelt gratitude to our Senior Leaders, Teachers and Support Staff for their dedication. I'm grateful to The Active Learning Trust for their invaluable guidance. Lastly, a huge ‘thank you’ to our incredible children, who truly deserve the best."

The school's last inspection was over 13 years ago, when Ofsted's process and criteria were different. With significant changes in the inspection framework, the judgments made now are notably diverse. The school is proud of achieving a 'good' outcome under this more rigorous inspection.

The Ofsted report was very positive and provides a good insight into what it is like to be a pupil at Ravensmere Infant School. In particular, Inspectors noted that: “Pupils are happy at this small and welcoming school. They describe the school as one big family.”

Inspectors also commended the school in the following areas:

“All opportunities provided by the school are open to everyone, for example the ‘no outsiders’ theme starts from the very first moment children start in Reception. Pupils know about differences, for example race, disabilities, culture and families. As a result, pupils believe that they should treat everyone the same. They feel safe and included in the life of the school.”

“The calm atmosphere helps [pupils] learn. They know that if something worries them there is always an adult in school who can help.”

“Pupils enjoy having extra roles and responsibilities, such as being music leaders, eco leaders or members of the school council. Pupils are proud of these roles and take them seriously. These roles help them to develop into responsible citizens.”

“The school has worked tirelessly to design a new curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. Curriculum leaders have strong subject knowledge and a passion for their subjects.”

“The school has recently introduced a new scheme for early reading, which meets the needs of pupils. The school ensures that phonics is taught from beginning of Reception. Staff access high-quality training, which means that the teaching of phonics is consistent.”

“Trustees and members of the local governing body are passionate about improving the experience of pupils at Ravensmere. They understand the school and its priorities.”

Ms Creed concluded: " Moving forward, the report has provided us with some areas for further development, which we are already focusing on as we continue to look to the future, but for now, we are celebrating this achievement.”

Lynsey Holzer, CEO of The Active Learning Trust added: “I would like to congratulate Ms Creed and our colleagues at Ravensmere Infant School and those across the Trust who have played a part in achieving this Ofsted grade. We are all very proud of the Ravensmere community, for the welcoming and positive learning environment they have created.”

A proud day for this thriving school indeed!