Pupils thrive, are confident, motivated and behave exceptionally well at Borrow Wood Primary School, according to Government inspectors who rated the school “good” overall and outstanding in two areas.
Ofsted inspectors praised leaders at the school in Arundel Drive, Spondon, for their high expectations, ambitious and well-organised curriculum and concluded the result was a happy school.
Particular praise was given to the personal development and behaviour and attitudes of pupils, both of which were rated outstanding while all other areas, including leadership, early years provision and quality of education, were judged as good.
Head teacher Zoe Fletcher said: “We are really proud of the outcomes of our recent Ofsted inspection and in particular the two outstanding areas of personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. These exemplify the work the school has done to develop the children to become, what the inspectors described to me as ‘fundamentally decent human beings.’
“I am also particularly proud of inspectors’ comments about personal development opportunities at Borrow Wood being so good they are worthy of sharing with other schools.”
Inspectors said leaders had thought carefully about the types of opportunities that prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain and that the curriculum helped pupils to empathise, be tolerant and respectful of all communities. They also noted the positive relationships between staff and pupils which werepositive and respectful.
They praised the wide range of opportunities available at the school, noting pupils learned to play a musical instrument, raised money for charity, wrote newspaper articles in the journalism club and enjoyed visits from professionals such as scientists and police drone operators.
The positive attitudes pupils had to their learning were observed with inspectors saying they behaved exceptionally well in lessons and around school, adding they “are respectful and show compassion to others in the school community who may be experiencing difficulties. They take pride in their work and look after the school environment.”
Pupils told inspectors that they felt safe at the school, part of the Odyssey Collaborative Trust, and that bullying does not happen very often, but they are confident that if it does happen, staff will deal with it effectively.
The good quality of teaching was also observed by the inspectors, who said staff regularly checked pupils’ understanding to identify any gaps in knowledge and made teaching reading a priority. They noted staff wereable to teach phonics well because of specifictraining they had received and were supported by a well-stocked library which helped develop pupils’ love of reading.
Miss Fletcher said: “We have worked hard at the school to build strong relationships with children and the school community and are very appreciative of the support that parents and carers give to the school which has also contributed to this excellent outcome.”
The school joined the Odyssey Collaborative Trust in March 2019. It was last inspected prior to that in 2017, when it was judged as requiring improvement.
Inspectors during this latest visit, at the end of April, noted improvements had been made to supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to ensure that the curriculum was well suited to meet their needs and that leadersidentified pupils with SEND as soon as possible and received training to support them effectively.
Only one area for improvement was noted, with inspectors saying that in most subjects, the curriculum was implemented effectively but in a few subjects itwas not implemented as leaders intended. They therefore advised leaders to ensure the curriculum was well planned, sequenced and implemented effectively across all subjects.
Ian Dewes, Chief Executive Officer at the Trust, said: “Everyone at Odyssey Collaborative Trust are really proud of all the hard work the school have put in since their last Ofsted. Borrow Wood is a fantastic school and we are delighted that Ofsted have recognised this in their report. It is the first inspection since Borrow Wood joined Odyssey and it has been a privilege to be part of the improvement journey the school has been on.”
