Turnditch Church of England Primary School has been praised by Ofsted inspectors for raising the ambition of its curriculum.
The school, part of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust (DDAT), was classed as ‘Good’ under Ofsted’s previous rating system. The education watchdog moved away from those one-word judgements in September but Turnditch, which was visited in December, has been judged to have maintained the standards seen in the previous inspection.
In particular, the inspector’s report highlighted the positive work the school had done to improve its curriculum, including a new phonics scheme and enhanced maths programme.
The report stated: “Pupils consistently benefit from opportunities to build on their existing mathematical understanding, whatever their age.”
The new phonics scheme was also judged a success, with teachers seen to be well-equipped to ensure children in the early years learn to read quickly. Older pupils also talked enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors.
Executive Head, David Brown, said he was pleased the report reflected the work and ambition that staff and pupils had for their school. “We are delighted that the inspectors recognised many of the key strengths of our school, that our school’s supportive ethos and culture has been recognised and our pupils came across so positively and enthusiastically to the inspection team. We will continue to focus on further developing the key areas identified in the report.”
Pupils were also described in the report as well-behaved and respectful and the school as ‘happy and welcoming with a strong sense of community’. Inspectors noted: “The positive way in which pupils interact with one another is reflected in their comments that ‘nobody is left out at Turnditch’.”
Sarah Clark, Chief Executive Officer of DDAT, said: “Turnditch is such a wonderful and inclusive school which supports all pupils to grow both academically, but also personally as individuals, and develop the skills of resilience and teamwork which will stand them in good stead for all future learning. I am incredibly proud of the school.”
This press release was written and distributed by Kirsty Green on behalf of DDAT. To find out more, email kirsty@penguinpr.co.uk.
