Ofsted: Northampton primary school celebrates jump from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’

Ofsted inspectors have showered praise on Briar Hill Primary School for creating a “culture of excellence” and an environment where “no barrier is too high” for children.

The primary school, part of the David Ross Education Trust (DRET), jumped form a ‘good’ Ofsted grade in 2021 to an ‘outstanding’ grade at an inspection just before Christmas.

It is a huge turnaround for the school, which has been a DRET academy since 2012, and has climbed up from a ‘requires improvement’ grade in 2014 to the very top grade.

Headteacher at Briar Hill Primary School, Jane Cooksley said: “I am so happy for my staff, our children and our parents that this brilliant school is being recognised for the fantastic community it is.

“My staff work incredibly hard to deliver an excellent education to the children, educating hearts and minds. All credit goes to them for their expertise and talent as teachers, and to all our parents for being so supportive of us.”

The recent inspection team picked out the school’s focus on reading, good behaviour, the enrichment programme and early years provision as top strengths.

All staff are trained to become “experts in phonics” – an effective method of teaching children to read – which has helped to create a “vocabulary-rich environment”, said inspectors, who visited in November last year.

Meanwhile the school’s focus on reading helps every pupil “quickly” develop their speed and comprehension, they added.

Inspectors had high praise for the school’s enrichment programme, which involves all pupils experiencing ‘memorable moments’. These moments have links to the arts, music, sport and culture and include trips to the ballet and theatre.

Staff have “high expectations of behaviour” and inspectors found that pupils “are kind to one another.” They also have fun attending many after-school clubs and visits to local universities.

Inspectors added that pupils “leave the school with the knowledge and skills they need for secondary school” and “prepare pupils very well for success in the wider world”.

Finally, children in reception “make an exceptional start to their education”. Inspectors especially liked the woodland school where children can learn outside.

Ms Cooksley continued: “The secret to our success is our values, which we call our ‘broadening horizons’ values. They are aspiration, ambition, courage and respect. They run through everything we do and the way we approach teaching and learning with the children.

“We make sure our children are completely prepared for secondary school, and have lots of ideas about what great jobs and careers they want to do after they leave.”

This follows after Briar Hill Primary School won the highly revered ‘Primary School of the Year’ award at the Tes Schools Awards last year.

Director of primary education at DRET, Simon Rose, said: “Jane and her team have done a magnificent job at Briar Hill. The school delivers an exceptional service to its local community.

“We are very proud of all our pupils for all the amazing work they do, and we are delighted that our families can be sure their children are getting the best opportunities to succeed in their next steps.”

Read the full Ofsted report here.