PUPILS, staff, parents and governors at Butterknowle Primary School are celebrating being rated “good” during a tough Ofsted inspection.
The achievement is made all the more significant because curriculum expectations changed in September 2014, says the school.
Headteacher Tessa Fenoughty said targets in maths and English, in particular, had been made higher.
Despite this Ofsted inspector Michael Reeves praised the improvements at the school that had allowed it to retain its good rating.
He said: “You have provided ambitious, dedicated and sharply focused leadership to drive school improvement. As a result, the school’s learning environment has developed substantially.
“This has improved pupils’ learning in lessons and enriched their opportunities to engage in adventurous play at breaktimes and lunchtimes.
“Along with governors, you have restructured staffing to ensure that it meets pupils’ needs well. At the same time, you have made effective use of available financial resources.”
He added: “In 2017, there were clear improvements to pupils’ progress by the end of year six in mathematics and particularly in reading.”
Mrs Fenoughty said the inspector was meticulous and thorough during his visit.
She added: “He was like a machine. He was very demanding – he wanted to see evidence, he wanted to see impact, he wanted to see progress.
“To retain good is a major achievement. It is something we are really proud of. We believe to make good progress under a new curriculum is a real credit to hard work the teachers, pupils and governors have done.”
