School and centre win praise in Ofsted report

But staff at Drove Primary School and Children’s Centre are outstanding at it – and everything else they do – according to inspectors.

The school and centre, in Drove Road, have just received an Ofsted report which graded them outstanding in all 20 areas of inspection, from achievement and quality of teaching to behaviour, safety and leadership.

The results put them in the top five per cent of schools in the country and the top eight per cent of children centres.

Executive headteacher Nick Capstick, who has taught at the school for 12 years, said: “This is a great achievement for the school and, combined with the outstanding Ofsted report we achieved for the children’s centre at the same time, shows we must be doing something right.

“The fact that we were seen to be outstanding in all areas of our work is truly remarkable.”

The school was last inspected in 2009, when it achieved a rating of ‘good’. Dr Capstick said the quality of teaching had helped the school improve over the past three years.

“The leadership team has grown in strength quite considerably,” he said. “We are far more focused on the quality of teaching and learning and the teachers we have now are the best we have ever had.

“The focus on care in the children’s centre is just second to none.

“The inspectors were blown away with our childrens’ ability to present themselves and their behaviour was outstanding.”

In her report, lead inspector Marianne Phillips said: “The headteacher, staff and governors are totally committed to driving school improvement to ensure every opportunity is given for all pupils to achieve and enjoy learning.

“All pupils, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs, make rapid progress.

“Children start at school with skills and knowledge well below those expected for their age.

“They achieve consistently well as they move through the school and reach above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave.”