Primary school is on the road to be ‘outstanding’

Darrington Church of England Primary School landed the mark in all key areas including the quality of education, behaviour, leadership, personal development and early years provision.

It follows a two-day visit by two Ofsted inspectors last year, with the results recently published.

Headteacher of the Denby Crest school, Lyndsay Ranby said: “It was with great delight and pride that Darrington CE Primary was awarded a good rating in all of the five categories.This fantastic outcome is a testimony to the exemplary work of staff and pupils, governors and parents who have worked hard to achieve an amazing result.

“I would like to thank our children, who are a true credit to their families and school. It is a privilege and a pleasure to be the headteacher of what is a very special school.

“I look forward to building on the existing progress and us working together.”

Praising the school, the inspectors said that leaders know what needs improving and that reading is a priority across the school.

The report stated: “Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour.

“There is a calm atmosphere throughout the school.

“Pupils’ learning is rarely interrupted by poor behaviour.

“There is a buzz for history throughout the school. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about how teachers help them remember their learning, using songs and rhymes.”

The school received a ‘good’ mark during a previous Ofsted visit in 2016.

‘Expectations are always high to extend learning’

To make the leap to the top grade and become an ‘outstanding’ school, the Ofsted inspectors said the school leaders needed to ensure pupils’ expectations were always high to extend their learning.

They advised that pupils who are secure in their learning should be moved on to more complex problems, and that the successful model used to teach history should be replicated in science.

They must ensure that teaching assistants are sufficiently trained to ensure all pupils are challenged in reading, while consistency is needed in identifying errors in spelling and punctuation so that pupils’ work is always of a high quality.