Northwood Primary School receive ‘Good’ Ofsted for a third year

An Island primary school has secured a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating for the third time in a row — as “pupils are proud to be part of this school”.

Staff and students at Northwood Primary School have been celebrating ‘North’G’ood’ after the education watchdog’s latest visit which ranked the academy as Good.

In its recently published Ofsted report, inspectors said the school has improved the quality of education since its last inspection and embedded an effective and well-delivered phonics programme.

All other subjects now have a clear and precisely designed curriculum meaning pupils are learning more key knowledge which teachers deliver well, they said.

It also means pupils are achieving more across the curriculum since the previous inspection and they know their teachers want them to work hard and be the best they can be.

Inspectors said in some subjects, the school’s checks on what pupils have learnt are not as effective in others so staff training and curriculum adaptations are not always as closely linked to improving pupils’ achievement as they could be.

Overall, Ofsted said Northwood Primary is ambitious and aims to provide all pupils with a high-quality education, including those with special educational needs.

Pupils work well together in class and when they require further support, either academically or for their behaviour, staff work collaboratively with parents.

Parents were overwhelmingly positive about the education their children received, telling inspectors it was like a family at Northwood and they really want what is best for the children.

Headteacher, Sian Mumford, thanked all the staff for their dedication, hard work and belief in the children which “made Northwood the unique place it is”.

She said: “I am incredibly proud of the pride and enthusiasm the children showed when talking about school life to the inspectors, for me this speaks volumes and they most certainly told it all.”

Chair of Governors, Dean Thistlewood, said he was delighted with the outcome and that the new leadership team had worked tirelessly to ensure areas of development noted at the last inspection were implemented quickly to ensure all children received the best possible outcomes.