A SCHOOL community is celebrating a magnificent seven cementing its reputation as one of the best primary academies in the country.
South Kilvington C of E Academy, near Thirsk, has been awarded ‘strong’ in all seven categories under the new Ofsted inspection framework, a first for Yorkshire.
These include inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, early years provision and leadership and governance.
Headteacher Stephen Butterworth said: “This is an exceptional accomplishment. At the time of inspection, we were the first school in Yorkshire to achieve at least the ‘strong standard’ in all seven areas of the new framework and the third across the whole country.
“The new inspection model is more rigorous than before, with additional areas to review. While the strong standard is now broadly understood to be the equivalent of the previous ‘outstanding’ grade, achieving it across all areas is extremely rare making this achievement even more remarkable.”
The school has undergone a major transformation over the past five years with Year 6 with pupils achieving a combined 92 per cent average for reading, writing and maths over the past three years. These outcomes are significantly above the national averages.
Inspectors highlighted that from the word go children receive the best possible education.
“Children in early years get off to a flying start,” inspectors said. “They benefit from skilled staff who have high expectations of what children can do.
“Through high-quality interactions, staff extend and deepen children’s learning across all areas of the provision. Children interact well with each other and the staff. They sustain their concentration and engage well in a vocabulary‐rich, well‐resourced provision.”
Inspectors described pupils as ‘joyful, eager and polite’. “They are respectful of each other and of the staff,” they said. “Pupils feel safe and care for each other. They behave well and attend school regularly. Younger pupils play happily with older pupils.
“Pupils enjoy their learning and respond well to their teachers. They benefit from a well‐considered curriculum enriched with a range of carefully chosen educational visits, including residentials, theatre visits and a programme of sessions in the woodland area.”
Inspectors highlighted the academy’s ‘Government’, which features elected MPs, a cabinet office, including a Prime Minister, which meets with a senior leader regularly to discuss school issues, and a House of Lords comprising staff.
Inspectors also noted: “Leaders promote high attendance and its importance. They have created a culture of learning where parents and pupils know that every minute counts.”
The school is now well established in the Alanbrooke-based Elevate Multi Academy Trust as a centre of excellence and able to share its expertise and best practice with other schools.
Mr Butterworth said: “I have been with Elevate for the past ten years, at three of their schools, and the Trust faces any challenges in the right way, offering a lot of support. It is a process and this report shows the impact of such a process on the school.
“We focus on the development of the whole child and are incredibly proud of what this outcome reflects. School is an inspiring place, calm and purposeful, with an enhanced teaching culture to make sure all pupils receive a great offer. With this they can build their confidence, so they believe they can achieve anything in their lives.
“South Kilvington has been on a transformational journey over recent years and this recognition celebrates the commitment, hard work and dedication shown by our pupils, staff, governors, and wider community.
“As leaders of the school, Rachel Waller and I are extremely proud of that journey. The staff team is highly skilled and the children are remarkable. We will continue to build on this success, remaining reflective, working closely with all stakeholders and ensuring that children remain firmly at the heart of every decision we make.”