A primary school in Oldham is 'delighted' and 'extremely proud' of its team and pupils after the education watchdog praised the setting in a new report.

Willowpark Primary Academy on Vulcan Street teaches children from two to 11 and has historically been a 'good' school since its first Ofsted inspection in 2019.

As per Ofsted rules, once a school has been graded 'good', the education watchdog visits the premises once every four years to confirm that the school is keeping up with standards in an ungraded inspection.

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In May this year, inspector Sue Eastwood carried out the site visit and had plenty of praise for the setting in her report.

Describing it as a "kind" and "welcoming" school, Ms Eastwood found pupils are "happy" and show the school's values of being respectful, responsible and resilient "daily" in their compassion towards each other.

The children's behaviour is a "strength" of the school, she continued, writing that they "conduct themselves very well" and "show maturity" in the way that they play and socialise with each other.

When it came to the curriculum, Ms Eastwood said the school shares high expectations of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), which means most achieve well.

Younger students in the early years are well prepared for the next stages of their education, she added, and pupils are "highly motivated" to learn.

The report continued that the importance of reading "radiates" throughout the school with a rich range of books and an awards system for pupils who are eager readers.

Children in the early years enjoy talking about stories and learning letters and sounds through "carefully crafted activities", meaning most become accomplished readers by the time they leave for secondary school.

The school also prioritises "high-quality" personal development with students particularly enthusiastic about elective Friday where they choose from a range of enrichment activities, such as gardening, coding, cooking and sports.

They also enjoy trips to museums, residential trips with other schools and were "visibly proud" of their involvement in rehearsals for the school show.

As for staff, the inspector said teachers develop "strong" relationships with students, make pupils feel safe and secure, are "knowledgeable" about the subjects they teach and are proud to work at the school.

Trustees further "share staff's ambition and commitment".

In addition, the school's "tenacious approach" to getting pupils to attend "has resulted in positive reductions in persistent absence". 

However, there was one area Ofsted has advised the school to improve on.

Ms Eastwood said the curriculum is "still to be finalised" in some subjects where the school has not refined what pupils should learn and when the content should be taught.

This makes it more difficult for teachers to design learning that helps students to build on their education, in turn hindering some from building a secure body of knowledge, she added.

Reacting to the positive report, principal of Willowpark Primary Academy said: '‘We are delighted with the outcome of our recent Ofsted Inspection.

"The report gives us many reasons to be extremely proud of our Academy, our staff and our pupils.

"It highlights pupils’ behaviour within our school as a strength and outlines how our effective curriculum, strong shared values and commitment to pupils’ personal development, supports them to become self-assured learners, who are well prepared for the next stages of their education and life.

"We’d like to thank all our staff, pupils, their families and the whole school community for helping to make Willowpark an amazing place for children to start their educational journey."

Councillor Josh Charters also praised the school, adding: "It's delightful to see that all primary schools in St James ward are good or Outstanding, as all our children deserve to have the best education and opportunities in life. 

"We're committed to ensuring that all children can go to good or outstanding schools."

 Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk