‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’ praise for St Martin’s at Shouldam Primary Academy
Staff and pupils at a West Norfolk school are celebrating after a visit from Ofsted inspectors.
St Martin at Shouldham Primary Academy has been described as ‘Outstanding’ in the behaviour and attitudes and the personal development of its pupils and also in its Early Years provision.
The academy, part of The Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust (DEMAT), was also rated ‘Good’ in leadership and management and quality of education.
The report highlights the high expectations for pupil achievement, in a broad, interesting and ambitious curriculum.
It says pupils achieve well, feel safe and are excited to come to school each day.
The report says that children with special educational needs access this curriculum fully.
Inspectors also noted staff ensure that pupils get the support they need to keep up so they learn to read confidently and develop a love of reading.
Older pupils talked proudly about overcoming their worries about jumping into the water on a residential trip, and how this has helped them feel more confident about taking their next steps into secondary education.
Other highlights from the report include: staff are skilled and knowledgeable; in the early years children engage in highly stimulating and well-structured activities; the school has a strong culture of respect and tolerance and as a result, pupils feel safe and supported: pupils demonstrate respectful and highly courteous behaviour; they are engaged and motivated to do well in lessons and actively show care and sensitivity to the needs of others.
Also, personal development is promoted extremely well in the report the school said.
Katherine Howe, executive headteacher, said: “I am very pleased to see the brilliant comments in this report and we are all delighted that St Martin’s has been recognised for the consistently good and outstanding provision for our children.
“This report reflects how hard all our staff and pupils work to achieve their very best in a nurturing learning environment.
“Thank you to our parents, carers and our whole school community for their ongoing support which we all greatly appreciate.”
Adrian Ball, chief executive officer at DEMAT, said: “Congratulations to Mrs Howe and all our staff and pupils at St Martin’s.
“It’s excellent to see that Ofsted has recognised the great work taking place in the academy.
“We look forward to continuing to support St Martin in its journey from strength to strength, supporting all pupils to achieve their full potential.”
Two inspectors visited the school, which has 162 pupils, over two days in December.
In highlighting areas for improvement the inspectors said: “Sometimes teachers do no check the quality of pupils’ writing precisely enough.
“Therefore, pupils do not consistently receive the guidance they need about how they can improve or develop their writing.
“The school needs to ensure that teachers consistently provide pupils with the support and guidance they need to develop their writing so that the writing that pupils produce is the best they are capable of.”
