'Ambitious' Northampton primary school remains 'outstanding' in first Ofsted inspection in 10 years

A Northampton primary school where pupils are 'inspired by their learning' has been praised by Ofsted in its first report in its first inspection in a decade.

The Chronicle & Echo reported in January how Hackleton Primary School had not been inspected by the education watchdog since July 2010.

It came after the BBC revealed that more than 1,000 'outstanding' schools had not been revisited in more than 10 years.

But now, Hackleton Primary School has been revisited...and its standards are as high as ever.

The new report, published on May 11, reads: "Pupils are inspired by their learning. They listen attentively in class and are highly motivated to find out more.

"Leaders have brought about a renewed focus on high standards. They have developed an ambitious, broad curriculum... They have planned precisely what pupils need to know and the order in which they need to gain this important knowledge."

The report is not a formal re-inspection and does not change the 'outstanding' grade of the school - however, the report also offers no criticism for any aspect of Hackleton Primary's education.

In particular, the watchdog was impressed by the school's focus on reading, mathematics and staff members' own strong understanding of geography.

The report reads: "Pupils feel safe in school and parents agree. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They learn how to pass on concerns to adults at the school through the ‘blue butterfly’ scheme."

Headteacher Andrea Revens said: "It has been a long time since the last Ofsted visit and there has been a complete change in the leadership of the school and many changes to the Governing board, so we are delighted that the report shows that we continue to deliver the highest possible standards of education.

"We had recently read reports about the possibility that schools, which had not been inspected for a number of years, would become complacent with their ‘outstanding’ status. Therefore we are delighted that Ofsted recognised that we are not ‘complacent’ and are in fact, ambitious for all our pupils.

"Maintaining our outstanding status is thanks to the hard work and dedication of staff, pupils, parents and the wider community."