Pupils at a junior school in Allestree are thriving thanks to the direction and warm environment the school sets, according to Ofsted which has rated the school as Good following a recent inspection.
Portway Junior School calls on its pupils to meet the ‘Portway 5’ – that is to be responsible, respectful, caring, friendly and active.
Ofsted inspector Aoife Galletly said the pupils were “all of these things,” during her visit to the school.
She also commented on the friendly atmosphere and the fact parents felt staff were approachable, supportive and caring.
For headteacher Emma Wilkinson, it was these comments which were particularly pleasing to hear.
“We really do have an amazing team here, it may sound like a cliché but we call it Team Portway because we such an amazing team,” she said. “Our parent community is so supportive, and we have a great relationship with parents so it’s great to hear they feel they can talk to us and that they are heard.”
The school was last inspected in 2017, when it was also rated as Good, before it joined Odyssey Collaborative Trust in 2019 and the current leadership team came into post.
Miss Wilkinson, who was teaching at the school when it was last inspected, said we are a research-based school which encourages Early Career Teachers to collaborate closely with school mentors.
“It really helps us to understand which teaching methods work best and why,” said Miss Wilkinson. “Quite often we know something achieves results but the research adds that clarity on why it is working so we can really embed that.”
This has resulted in practices such as pupils’ ‘publishing books’. These are collections of their best writing, proofread and edited by the children, which stay with them until the end of Year 6 as a way to celebrate their best work and their progress throughout their time at the school.
Staff also celebrate pupils’ achievements through ‘Proud Moments’ events.
Miss Wilkinson explained: “We have rewards for work and behaviour where the teachers choose who deserves it, but we wanted to create an opportunity for children to choose what they were most proud of and then share this with their parents and carers during an open session.
“This was also a really nice way after Covid to get parents and carers back into the school to see their children’s work.”
The report also highlighted the school leaders’ clear vision to create lifelong learners who embrace learning and the diversity of human achievement.
Ian Dewes, Chief Executive Officer of Odyssey Collaborative Trust, said: “My visits to Portway are always a pleasure. The children are exceptional, and the staff work so hard to give them the best start to their schooling. We are so proud of their report and glad that Ofsted agree.”
