School leaders have been praised as Ofsted declare a school deemed 'requiring improvement' in 2016 is rapidly improving.

Chickerell Primary Academy received their first full Ofsted inspection since the school was judged as 'requiring improvement' in September 2016.

Inspectors gave the school 'good' ratings across the board and said strong leadership from the headteacher and senior leaders had led to improvements in teaching quality and pupil outcomes.

The report, by Her Majesty’s Inspector Jonathan Dyer said: "The headteacher leads the school with commitment, drive and a single-minded determination to improve outcomes for pupils in the school. She is supported by a highly skilled team of senior leaders who share her vision and high expectations.

"Collectively, leaders have been relentless in raising the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and driving up standards for all pupils. This unwavering resolve has underpinned the rapid improvement of this school."

The report said the school’s curriculum was designed to develop an awareness of their local community and was raising pupils’ awareness of global issues, such as water pollution and climate change.

The inspection was conducted over two days, and involved lesson observations, scrutiny of children's work, meetings with the senior leadership team and governors.

Inspectors praised pupils' behaviour and said the school was 'calm' and centred on learning.

"Pupils are polite, courteous and welcoming to visitors. They conduct themselves well throughout the day," the report said. "Pupils say that bullying is extremely rare. They are confident that should they have any concerns, there is a trusted adult to whom they can turn."

The report also commented on the "strong academic progress of the disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs."

The inspectors also spoke to parents and looked at the results of the online staff and parent surveys.

One parent told inspectors: "Chickerell Primary Academy is more than just a school, it’s a community where the children who attend are well cared for. My children are well supported academically and emotionally and, for this reason, are thriving at school."

The report said despite this strong progress, the proportions of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, and greater depth in writing, remained below national averages.

It added the school needed to strengthen pupils’ understanding of other cultures within a multi-cultural Britain and refine the school’s systems for the assessment of subjects other than English and mathematics so that teachers had a clear understanding of what pupils could do in relation to curriculum expectations.

Headteacher, Miss Jody Harris, put the success of the recent inspection down to the hard work of the pupils,the dedicated staff and supportive governing body.

"The school's journey of improvement will continue over the next few years so that the children have the best possible chances of being 'secondary' ready- for the next stage of their education," Miss Harris said.

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