Ellesmere school gets 'good' rating from Ofsted

The England-wide standards body visited the Elson Road school before the summer holiday, and praised its “broad curriculum” which engages students’ interest and the “new, clearer” behaviour management system.

Ellesmere Primary School, which has 350 pupils, converted to an academy in September 2016, and had also been rated ‘good’ in its last inspection before that.

In his report on the July 2019 inspection, Ofsted inspector Martin Spoor writes: “Pupils’ behaviour is good, both at social times and during lessons.

“Pupils told me that the recent adoption of a clearer system of rewards and sanctions has improved conduct this academic year.

“Importantly, pupils enjoy being in the classroom, and appreciate the variety in their curriculum. Their constructive attitudes to learning are well developed. For example, in a Year Two lesson we observed, pupils set about their mathematical investigation with a real sense of purpose.

“They collaborate well with their peers when asked to do so. Pupils care about their work, and generally present it well.”

Mr Spoor adds that the pupils, who range in age from three to 11 years old, “learn to write in a variety of styles; their books show the composition of poetry in different formats, as well as writing based on their studies in other subjects such as history and science.”

He writes: “Pupils currently benefit from a broad curriculum, which succeeds in engaging their interest. Educational visits and visitors to the school, such as authors, enrich their experience.

“Teachers assess children’s individual circumstances and abilities carefully, and plan activities accordingly. Those with low starting points generally catch up quickly, and children make strong progress in the acquisition of skills in all areas of the curriculum.”