STAFF at a primary school in Weymouth have been praised for their "determination and drive" in their pupils' education.

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School and Community Nursery was rated 'good' following its Ofsted inspection in early June.

The school was previously rated as 'requires improvement' but at the June inspection, it was noted that teachers’ expectations of what children and pupils can achieve have risen and, as a result, standards have improved.

The curriculum was described as "broad and balanced" with pupils being interested in what they are studying.

The report read: "Teaching is creative and finds ways of engaging pupils so they work with positive attitudes, learn from their mistakes and develop independence."

Inspectors further noted that pupils are actively encouraged to take responsibilities and make contributions towards the running of the school. For example, pupils hold varied responsibilities as reading ambassadors, safety leaders, sports leaders and through being school council representatives.

The behaviour of pupils is described as "good" with the focus on rewarding positive behaviour seen as motivating and effective. Poor behaviour incidents are described as "rare" and are dealt with appropriately when they do occur.

Looking to the nursery, the children are said to be making "good progress".

The report reads: "The attractive, well-resourced learning environment supports work and play, both indoors and outside."

Looking to the future of the school and further improvements that can be made, inspectors said staff need to ensure they are challenging pupils to reach the highest standards of which they are capable, particularly in mathematics; progress of disadvantaged pupils especially needs to be monitored more closely and efforts should be made to continue to improve pupils' attendance and reduce persistence absences.

Headteacher Fiona Daykin said: "I am so proud of the excellent staff, governors and pupils at holy Trinity Primary who have worked tirelessly to transform the school into a high quality learning environment.

"We remain passionately committed to provide the highest quality of education to the young people in our care.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the parents for their continued support of the school. It was lovely to see the results of the 200 parent questionnaires on ‘Parent View’, where 96 per cent would recommend this school.”

Helen Keedy, chairman of governors added: “The outcomes from the inspection validates the incredible progress that has been made by the school over the last four years. The outstanding leadership of Mrs Daykin has enabled the school to refocus all its efforts in ensuring that every pupil gets the very best opportunities every day that they attend.

"I am incredibly proud of the way that staff have risen to the ever increasing challenges that schools face, and the manner in which they have continued to strive to secure our school's vision of harmony, respect, faith and lifelong learning."

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