Hale Primary School rated good by Ofsted inspectors

The school, which is part of the Forest Edge Learning Federation, was rated “good” during its latest inspection by Ofsted.

Head teacher Emma Clarke said: “I am thrilled with the report. It is a reflection of the hard work and commitment of our dedicated team at Hale. On the day the children were fantastic ambassadors for our lovely school.”

The report said: “The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.”

Inspectors praised the head teacher for having a “clear and accurate view of what the school does well and what could be even better”, adding: “Your drive for continuous improvement has ensured that this is a good and improving school.”

The school, which was previously deemed “good” during its last inspection in September 2014, had “effectively addressed” areas for improvement identified by inspectors. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in writing was in line with the number achieving this standard in reading and mathematics.

The school also commissioned a literacy advisor and expertise from within the federation to restructure the way writing is taught and most pupils are making “strong progress” in writing.

Inspectors said: “Leaders recognise that opportunities for the most able to extend their learning are sometimes missed and have started to address this.”

They also said that leaders have developed a “varied and rich curriculum” and although it was carefully monitored leaders and staff “do not have a clear picture of pupils’ progress across the foundation subjects”. But leaders and governors were aware of this and identified it as an area for development.

Governors were praised for having a “good overview” of priorities for the school and “challenged” leaders when appropriate.

The report also said “robust” action had been taken to improve attendance of pupils who were persistently absent.

Attendance figures for all pupils were above the national average.