School in Northampton praised by inspectors as it improves to '˜good'

Kingsthorpe Village Primary School, in Knights Lane, was given the rating in a newly released report, based on a two-day inspection in May.

It means the school has improved from its rating of ‘requires improvement’, the label it was given in October 2013.

Brian Gwynne, the school’s headteacher, said: “Everyone within the school community has worked very hard to create a school we can be proud of.

“This will encourage us all to move the school forward to achieve even higher standards in the future.”

Inspectors said two reasons prevented them awarding the prestigious ‘outstanding’ rating.

They said the level of challenge for the most able children is inconsistent and the work of teaching assistants is not focused enough on pupils’ individual learning needs.

However, in all categories - effectiveness of leaders, quality of teaching, personal development, behaviour and outcomes for children - the school was deemed ‘good’.

The report said that all pupils “make good progress, behave well and enjoy learning”.

The school’s chair of governors, Nigel Warbis, said: “We are delighted that the report recognises the many strengths of the school and the hard work and commitment of staff that has led to significant improvements since the school was last inspected.”