Good ratings for Wyberton Primary School which is ‘passionate’ about helping pupils achieve their potential

A school that is ‘passionate about helping pupils achieve their potential’ has been rated ‘good’ in all areas.

Pupils at Wyberton Primary Academy ‘benefit from an inclusive, nurturing environment with high-quality pastoral care’, according to a recent Ofsted report.

Sarah Paul, headteacher, said: “While Ofsted is not the only measure of success for a school, we are delighted that over the course of the two-day inspection Ofsted found so much about Wyberton that should be applauded.

“Our whole team here, supported by Infinity Academies Trust, work tirelessly to help our children to be happy, nurtured and to thrive.

“That is why it is the comments about our children that bring the biggest smiles to our faces. The fact that they are described as ‘friendly and welcoming’, have a ‘positive attitude to learning’ and ‘achieve well’ is exactly why we do what we do.”

The report stated: “The school has high aspirations for all pupils.”

“Staff are committed to meeting pupils’ individual needs. As a result, pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics.

“The work of the school embodies its vision of ‘growing futures together’. The school is passionate about providing pupils with opportunities to help them to fulfil their potential.

“A noteworthy aspect of the school’s personal development provision is its enterprise and careers work.

“The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and teaches these through its behaviour curriculum. Most pupils follow the school’s expectations and routines.”

Wyberton Primary - which has 204 pupils aged from three to 11 on its roll - was rated good in all five categories; quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision.

Under the previous grading structure it was rated ‘outstanding’.

The report, written following a two-day inspection in July, said the school has ‘an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum’ and that ‘the curriculum is having a strong impact in many subjects’.

However, it added ‘learning is not revisited as effectively in some wider subjects’, meaning ‘some pupils forget important knowledge and are unable to build their understanding of key concepts’.

The report added Wyberton Primary prioritises the teaching of phonics and reading and that staff in the early years have strong, positive relationships with children.

Highlighting where the school needs to improve, the report added: “In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not remember crucial curriculum content securely.

“They sometimes remember the activities that they have done rather than the important knowledge that they need to retain. As a result, some pupils cannot build on their prior learning and deepen their understanding of key concepts.

“The school should refine its approach to the retention of important learning, so that pupils gain a rich body of knowledge in all subjects.

“At times, children in the early years do not benefit from high-quality interactions with staff. Consequently, some children do not develop their communication and language skills as well as they could.

“The school must ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills that they need to develop children’s communication and language throughout the early years provision, including during free choice activities and imaginative play.”