‘Magic in the air’: Ofsted praises Northampton school after major inspection
Leaders at a Northampton school say they are “immensely proud” after inspectors praised the school’s teaching, behaviour and sense of community following a full Ofsted inspection.
The Duston School, which has more than 2,000 pupils and over 200 staff, was assessed across every area of the inspection framework during a three-day inspection process.
Inspectors observed nearly 200 lessons during the visit and, according to the school, did not record a single behavioural issue.
The report found the school met safeguarding requirements and achieved a “strong standard” judgement in every other assessed category, including achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, early years and post-16 provision.
Inspectors described the school as “calm, orderly” and “purposeful”, which the school says reflected the culture staff experience daily.
Among the comments highlighted in the report were: “Pupils are happy and enjoy learning at The Duston School” and “despite the school’s large size, there is a tangible sense of community that all pupils feel part of”.
The report also stated that pupils benefit from “a consistently high quality of teaching all through the school”.
Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, teachers, staff and pupils throughout the process, while also shadowing students to gain an understanding of day-to-day life at the school.
School leaders said inspectors were particularly complimentary about the consistency achieved across such a large educational setting. One inspector reportedly commented that “you can feel magic in the air”.
Sam Strickland, principal of the school and CEO of The Luminara Education Trust, said: “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved at The Duston School.
“I am also deeply humbled to lead a school that is nationally recognised as delivering a strong standard in every area of the inspection framework. This is no mean feat. I hope that the school continues to grow from strength-to-strength.”
The report also outlined a recommendation for leaders to continue refining and embedding improvement priorities to further strengthen outcomes for pupils.
The full inspection report will be published on the Ofsted website in due course.