A Wyre primary school is continuing to go ‘up, up and away’ – gaining a good rating from inspectors in a report which described teaching as “sometimes outstanding.”
Thornton Primary School’s creative curriculum, which this term is focusing on a theme of air and flight, impressed inspectors, along with its “good and sometimes outstanding” teaching and strong “quality of care”.
The creative curriculum sees all learning, from science experiments to literacy tasks and maths puzzles, being related in some way to air, sky or flight, under the banner ‘up, up and away’.
The Gazette reported on this new approach in a league tables supplement in January, a copy of which inspectors took with them for information about the changes.
Bosses at the school, which was last rated as satisfactory by inspectors in May 2012, today said they were “proud” at the outcome of the latest report.
Headteacher Rachel Clements said: “Reading the report I felt so proud of what we’ve achieved in that time.
“The report says we’ve improved rapidly all the way through.
“What we are particularly pleased with is the recognition of the rapid improvements there has been since the last inspection.
“And our quality of care was a strength last time that we’ve managed to keep while improving standards and progress.”
The school has this year introduced a new scheme of assigning every pupil their own mentor to work with them from Reception up to Year Six for extra pastoral or academic support.
And Year Six pupils have also trained as peer mentors to work with younger children.
Mrs Clements added: “It’s trying to give them more support and aspiration.”
In January’s primary school league tables supplement, we reported how headteacher Rachel Clements intends the Heys Road school’s introduction of the creative curriculum idea to continue its improved performance. The report was taken by Ofsted inspectors when they visited the school on February 5 and 6, who said “this has all the information we need”. They then reported back: “Recent changes to the curriculum, have all helped to stimulate and excite pupils; this has contributed well to their improved achievement” and “Teachers plan lessons which make learning for pupils enjoyable” and “Pupils are taught well.”
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