Kedington Primary Academy is celebrating after Ofsted inspectors suggested they were moving towards an ‘Outstanding’ rating.

The school underwent an ungraded (Section 8) inspection from Ofsted in July – and retained its Good status achieved in March 2019.

But as part of the report, inspectors said: “The evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now.”

The recent report paid tribute to pupils’ behaviour, describing it as “exemplary”, and said pupils “delight in coming to school”.

It added: “Classrooms are awash with learning because pupils have highly positive attitudes toward their work. Classrooms are vibrant, happy places.

“While pupils have much fun and laughter with their friends, they know that when play stops and work starts, they are expected to concentrate and try their best. This is exactly what they do. Adults expect much of pupils, and pupils live up to these expectations.”

Executive headteacher, Vicky Doherty, and head of school, Hayley Ahlquist, said they were pleased that the report represented what they see on a daily basis.

They said: “We were delighted to receive a Good rating and the suggestion that Kedington Primary School could achieve ‘Outstanding’ just motivates the staff even more to keep enhancing the education we provide to our children.

“This report is testimony to all the hard work of staff, students, families and our school community and we thank them all.

“It perfectly highlighted our school offer, not just the academic success but also the nurturing and enriching opportunities we give to children.”

Inspectors paid tribute to the fact a “culture of respect flows through the school” and the opportunities offered to pupils – including pupils running lunchtime clubs and the ‘Kedington 50’ which offers pupil 50 different enrichment opportunities.

The report added: “Pupils across the school learn exceptionally well. They develop deep and detailed knowledge across the curriculum.

“The school ensures that pupils learn to read extremely well. The youngest pupils build strong foundations in their phonic knowledge because adults are expert in teaching reading.

“Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve exceptionally well.”

Other areas of praise was the caring and nurturing environment for children in Reception class and the fact staff were highly valued by the school with a range of training and development opportunities offered.

Tim Coulson, chief executive of Unity Schools Partnership of which Kedington is a member, said: “Not only is the trust delighted at the acknowledgment of success at Kedington Primary Academy, we are very proud that this is happening at the same time as the school is working closely with Steeple Bumpstead Primary.

“The two schools have a shared leadership structure with Vicky Doherty leading both schools and this is paying dividend at both Kedington and Steeple.”

An ungraded (Section 8) inspection from Ofsted is a routine inspection carried out at schools that have been given a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating.