Ofsted: Northampton primary school which jumped from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’ is ‘flourishing’

Ofsted have said that Parklands Primary School in Northampton is “flourishing” in a report published this week, following their inspection in January.

The primary school, situated in Spinney Hill Road, has jumped from being an ‘inadequate’ school to being rated good in all areas.

In the report officially published by Ofsted this week, inspectors said: “ Pupils strive to show respect, kindness, independence, determination, perseverance and aspiration. By doing so they earn coloured badges, which they wear with pride.

Pupils at Parklands Primary School are described as “happy and secure” and they have “inclusive and welcoming attitudes” showing good manners and respect towards staff and each other.

They have a range of opportunities to take on leadership roles including being a reading ambassador, a sports leader, part of the ‘Global Guardians’ or a member of ‘United Parklands.’

One pupil told inspectors: “‘Parklands is a safe place to be, the teachers give you a boost about everything,” and another said: “There are so many good things about Parklands, I love it all.”

Inspectors praised staff for adapting the curriculum so that it is accessible to all pupils with SEND and for revisiting important knowledge to enable pupils to add it to their long term memories.

There is a sharp focus on communication in the early years and, as a result, pupils can express themselves correctly using precise technical language.

Inspectors noted that leaders have made reducing persistent absences of some disadvantaged pupils one of their top priorities, although they still have some way to go to get attendance where they want it to be.

Ofsted found that Parklands Primary has considered the well-being and workload of staff and created a “unified team,” which one member of staff described as “a little family.”

To boost their grade to outstanding, Parklands Primary School needs to ensure there is a consistent approach to the teaching of reading fluently to pupils who struggle to read. They also need to refine their approach to assessments so that teachers can monitor pupils’ progress and address misconceptions where they arise.

Read the full Ofsted report here.