Rakegate Primary School celebrates double success story with Good Ofsted rating
A school has been rated as good by education bosses for the second successive time.
Schools inspector Ofsted visited Rakegate Primary School, in Wolverhampton, last month and found that leaders had a "clear vision for school improvement".
Improvements in teaching and pupils' achievement are also being driven at a "brisk pace", the report found.
However, the report also found variations in teaching quality. In some lessons, the work "is not challenging enough for the most able pupils".
"Additional adults are not always used effectively," it concluded, noting how some pupils are "over reliant on additional support from adults. This slows their progress".
Ofsted also said not all children at the school make as much progress as they could in early years, particularly boys and disadvantaged children.
Teaching was deemed to be good overall, however, with staff setting high expectations of pupils' behaviour and the pupils themselves making good progress and achieving better standards.
Pupils behave well, are courteous and polite and attend regularly.
Parents "speak highly” of the Rakegate Close school and value the personalised support available to children and their families.
There is a "strong, caring and nurturing culture across the school", with pupils "caring for each other and helping others".
Headteacher Sarah Horton and her team provide "strong, determined and effective leadership" and are "rigorous in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning" which is improving across the school.
Sharply focused plans are in place to identify where improvements are needed, and there is "good capacity for continued improvement".
The curriculum at Rakegate Primary is "well planned" with topics which "motivate and inspire pupils", and first-hand experiences, such as trips out and guest speakers, are used well to "extend and enrich" learning.
Governors are working in partnership with the leadership team to secure "rapid and continuous improvement in the school", and are holding leaders to account with greater rigour.
Mrs Horton said: "We are extremely proud of the children, parents, staff and governors of Rakegate who have worked very hard to secure the Good judgement.
“We are delighted the report celebrates the strengths of the school and the achievements of our pupils. Rakegate is a fantastic school to work and learn in. We will strive to improve further.”
Wolverhampton Council's director of education, Meredith Teasdale, added: "I would like to congratulate everyone at Rakegate Primary School on this positive report which shows that Sarah Horton and her team are driving through improvements at a brisk pace, addressing issues rapidly.
“Sarah has been a valued member of the council’s New Headteachers programme as well as working closely with our School Improvement Team.
"In focusing efforts on raising standards still further, Rakegate Primary continues to be supported by being part of one of the school improvement networks within the city.”
Nearly 90 per cent of schools in Wolverhampton are now rated either Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.
