An Oxfordshire county councillor praised school leaders after an inadequate primary and a primary requiring improvement were rated ‘good’ by Ofsted following recent inspections.
Bayards Hill Primary School in Headington was graded ‘good’ for the first time in its history, having received a ‘requires improvement’ judgement at its last inspection.
Sandhills Community Primary School also in Headington was upgraded from ‘inadequate’, a verdict delivered after Ofsted visited in 2018.
Barton Park was inspected for the first time since opening in 2020 on the new estate of the same name in Headington and rated good.
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Glynis Phillips spoke about “the importance of communities having great schools at their heart” after the national education standards body delivered its verdict on the primaries in her Barton, Sandhills & Risinghurst division.
The Labour councillor said: “Schools are such important institutions for community pride and social cohesion, and it is fantastic to have these three good schools in my ward.
“I am a governor at Bayards Hill, so I am acutely aware of the challenges that school leaders and their staff face and the hard work that they all do.
“Everyone involved in raising standards in these schools deserves great credit.”
In their judgement, which was published last month, Ofsted inspectors told leaders at Bayards Hill that “work to embed high standards of behaviour across the school means pupils feel safe and enjoy being in the calm environment around school”.
They added: “Pupils are motivated by a culture of high aspiration. Pupils feel valued and are motivated to willingly make positive contributions to the school community.
“In response to historically low outcomes, leaders have decisively improved the provision and stabilised staffing.”
The Sandhills report, published in January, found that: “Pupils adore their teachers and trust that staff will look after them.
"Staff and pupils get on really well and treat each other with courtesy and kindness.”
Barton Park’s report, released last month, praised its “ambitious curriculum” and described the school as “calm and harmonious”.
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It added: “Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy learning. This is because leaders bring learning to life through well-thought-out trips, visits and experiences.”
All three schools were being inspected for the first time since joining River Learning Trust, a multi academy trust made up of 26 primary and secondary schools in Oxfordshire.
Its chief executive, Paul James, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support colleagues at these fantastic schools.
“I echo what Glynis says about every community deserving a great school at its heart.”
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