Albrighton Primary School praised for striving to be best
A school has been praised by inspectors for having an attitude where only the best will do. Albrighton Primary School has been rated as good by Ofsted after previously being described as requiring improvement.
Inspectors Bogusia Matusiak-Varley and Timothy Hill said: "The headteacher and governors have established a culture of only the best will do." Their report said: "Clear educational direction and self-evaluation, along with improvements to teaching, have been the driving force of the school's improvement since the previous inspection."
The school, on New House Lane, is now closed for the summer but governors and teachers are said to be delighted with the improvements.
Governor Chris Jones said: "We are very proud of our results."
The school was visited at the end of June, after its last inspection in 2014 stated it required improvement.
Inspectors praised the quality of teaching at the school, saying: "The quality of teaching is now consistently good.
"Teachers have high expectations and challenge pupils to think deeply about their learning.
"By the time pupils leave they are well prepared for their next stage in education.
"They now achieve standards that are above average in reading and mathematics, with standards in writing catching up rapidly. Policies have been put into practice restoring dynamism, enthusiasm, professionalism and a love of learning both in the pupils and staff.
"Relationships throughout the school are strong. The work of the learning mentor is having a positive impact on pupils' self-esteem.
"Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through all aspects of the curriculum.
"The early years provision is good. As a result of effective leadership and teaching, children make good progress from their starting points.
"Parents are supportive of the school and say that their children are safe and enjoy school."
Since the last inspection, leadership has changed, including the appointment of a new deputy head. Ofsted inspectors said headteacher Julie Bratt had ensured that good quality support is available to prevent pupils from falling behind.
In order to become outstanding, Ofsted says the school needs to allow the children to do more in-depth writing, give plenty of opportunities for pupils to practise their spelling and correct mistakes, and give reception children more chance to work on their skills with numbers and letters.
"Too few opportunities are provided for pupils to develop their reasoning skills in mathematics, pupils are not given enough opportunities to write in depth in subjects other than English, especially the most able pupils, and pupils make too many errors in their spellings," inspectors said.
