Billingham primary school where 'pupils flourish and thrive' is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted

A primary school where "pupils flourish and thrive" has been rated "outstanding" by inspectors.

Oakdene Primary Academy, in Billingham, was visited by Ofsted in January and rated "outstanding" in all areas. The Low Grange Avenue school was praised for the "impressive progress" made by students and its "rich and creative curriculum". This school is part of The Enquire Learning Trust, and has not previously been inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

However, Ofsted previously judged Oakdene Primary School to be "outstanding", before it opened as Oakdene Primary Academy. According to the new report, the school's curriculum is underpinned by the school motto, "Learning for Life" and pupils are prepared for future learning.

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The report reads: "Pupils flourish and thrive at Oakdene Primary Academy. The curriculum is underpinned by the school motto, Learning for Life. Pupils are prepared exceptionally well for their next phase of learning and beyond. There is a culture of ambition and high aspiration that permeates throughout the school. All pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, achieve well.

"Pupils and staff are incredibly proud to belong to this school. Pupils are happy and feel safe. They understand the right of every child to an education. As a result, classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils are inquisitive and demonstrate a love of learning. Pupils make impressive progress during their time in school and achieve high standards."

In response to the report, Liz Bramley, principal of the school, said: "This is such a huge achievement and I really believe this is truly deserved recognition for each and every member of staff who go above and beyond for our pupils. In order to maintain our outstanding grade we have had to continue to drive initiatives forward and champion our curriculum – it is such an exciting place to work.

"The inspectors recognised everything unique and special about our school, sharing that it was a joy to observe the purposeful and positive relationships between staff and pupils and the focus that we have on individuals' well-being. The full Ofsted report really does reflect this.

“I was incredibly proud of our pupils throughout the inspection. They spoke to inspectors so passionately about the school, the clubs on offer and all the opportunities they love, sharing that the best thing about school is all the teachers."

Darren Holmes, chief executive officer of the Enquire Learning Trust, added: "This is an amazing outcome for the school, the trust, the Billingham community, and - most importantly - the children who attend Oakdene. It reflects the skill and dedication of every member of the school staff and a school wide commitment to excellence for every child. It marks the exceptional teamwork that exists between school and home which really makes a difference to pupils’ achievements and progress.

"When Oakdene was inspected in 2013 it was labelled as outstanding. In the decade that has passed, the inspection process has changed significantly and the bar for an outstanding judgement has been set at a much higher level. In a very real sense the report that has been published this year represents a significant and sustained improvement over ten years."