A PRIMARY school in Tidworth has been praised for encouraging pupils to be inquisitive and understanding their needs.

Wellington Lions Primary Academy was visited by Ofsted on July 3 and 4, and a report on the inspection was published on Friday, September 15, in which the school was rated as ‘good’, it was previously graded as ‘requires improvement’.

The report said: “Pupils act on the school values, particularly to be ‘curious.’ Leaders encourage pupils to be inquisitive. Many pupils join the school at different times during the year. Leaders get to know pupils quickly to welcome them and understand their needs.” 

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Inspectors noted that leaders have raised expectations of behaviour in recent years and that pupils respond well to this “most of the time” but “behaviour of a few sometimes fall short of expectations”.

“Leaders involve all pupils in discussions about the school by posing ‘big questions’ for everyone to debate. For example, the school council recently considered how to be more inclusive,” the report continued.

The school is located in a military town, and inspectors said that Wellington Lions has “a changing school population”, adding: “Leaders have considered how they meet the needs of pupils as they join the school at different starting points. They have planned a well-sequenced, ambitious and inclusive curriculum from Reception Year to the end of Year 6.”

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It was observed that as subject leaders work across two primary schools “they focus on ensuring there is a detailed subject curriculum in place. However, they have less time to check how well the curriculum is being implemented. As a result, in a few subjects, they do not have a sufficiently deep knowledge of how effective the curriculum is.”

The report continued: “Leaders have prioritised developing a curriculum relevant for the pupils of Wellington Lions. They have invested in external professional development to ensure that staff have the expertise they need.”

Claire Addis, executive headteacher for the Wellington Primary Academies, said: “We are extremely happy with the report and good Ofsted rating. The staff at Wellington Lions are all very passionate about providing our children with enriching and exciting experiences. As a team we have worked together to ensure that the curriculum and values of our school are at the heart of everything we do and receiving this report is a great end to our term.”

Jane Coley, chief executive of Ascend Learning Trust, added: “Wellington Lions Primary staff have worked extremely hard, pulling together as a team to create a strong outcome for all. It was heartening to receive such a positive report from Ofsted, the school has worked tirelessly on its improvement journey since joining Ascend Learning Trust. The report commented on how pupils and staff encourage each other and work well together to achieve the school’s mission of creating the curious child. The inspectors commented on how staff are quick to welcome new pupils into their classroom which is key factor in the success as the school is in a military town.”