Top marks for Johnson Fold Primary School where children excel no matter what their background

Johnson Fold Primary School has been marked as outstanding by Ofsted, which reported that pupils thrive at the school — and despite the majority coming from disadvantaged backgrounds go on to make far more progress than their peers nationally.

Inspectors reported: "Nearly all children being the early years with social skills, levels of communication, literacy and language skills and understanding of number, shape and space that are below, and in many cases, significantly below, those that are typical for their age. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development by the time they leave they early years is above the national average because of the outstanding teaching and support they receive."

Pupils were said to be proud to be at Johnson Fold Primary School and are described as thriving "in this oasis of learning and care".

Ofsted reported: "All children behave well in lessons and demonstrate an inquisitiveness and a love of learning that percolates through the school.

"They listen with rapt attention and are eager to begin learning to reach the high expectations placed on them by teachers."

Every area of the school — leadership and management, teaching learning and assessment, personal development and welfare, outcomes for pupils and early years provision — received the highest mark possible

The headteacher was singled out for praise, with inspectors stating: "The headteacher is a driving forced for excellence.

"She has detailed knowledge of what constitutes high quality teaching and a commitment to ensuring the very best provision and care for her pupils.

"All members of her highly motivated staff team put pupils' learning first."

Headteacher Ruth Dean said: "We are truly delighted that the inspectors captured the essence of our school in the report. The outstanding judgement is a wonderful recognition of the hard work and dedication of our whole school community."