Northampton primary school taking ‘effective action’ to improve from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’, Ofsted says

A Northampton primary school which currently has an Ofsted rating of ‘requires improvement’ is taking ‘effective action’ to improve, according to inspectors.

Stimpson Avenue Academy, part of the East Midlands Academy Trust, was rated ‘requires improvement’ at its last full inspection in July 2019.

Since then, the school has been subjected to a number of monitoring visits, as routine. The latest of which was the first in-person inspection since the beginning of the pandemic.

The visit took place on June 30 and inspectors spoke to staff, pupils and representatives responsible for the governance of the school.

In a letter about the visit, published on September 17, Ofsted concluded: “Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action in order for the school to become a good school.

“Leaders have continued to move forward with curriculum development.

“Teachers make sure that the activity they set for pupils helps them to remember key knowledge.

“The school’s plans for improvement are comprehensive and focus on the actions leaders need to take to make the school better.

“Leaders review and update plans frequently to show what they have achieved, and what they need to do next.

“Leaders’ determination is driving improvement towards becoming a good school.”

Inspectors also highlighted two main areas in which improvements need to be made, including making sure staff follow the agreed approach to phonics and that staff adapt curriculum effectively to meet the needs of SEND children.

Head of school, Luci Clapton, said: “We are very pleased that Ofsted has recognised the hard work that is ongoing to make sure Stimpson Avenue Academy continues to improve and become a good school.

“We have kept moving forward, despite the challenges of the pandemic, always staying focused on our improvement plans and the actions needed to make the school better.

“It’s great to know that we are heading in the right direction and are well on our way to achieving a good rating.”

Executive headteacher for the trust, Zoe McIntyre, added: “This is positive news and shows what has been achieved so far.

“It’s good to see that Ofsted recognised all of the work taking place at Stimpson Avenue Academy, including everything that is being done across the trust to support the school, as it continues its improvement journey.”

Stimpson Avenue should be due a full inspection later this year, as a ‘requires improvement’ school is re-inspected around 30 months after it was last graded.

The full letter regarding the latest monitoring visit can be found on the Ofsted website here.