Delight as Mansfield Woodhouse school rated good - but inspectors warn standards must be maintained

Ofsted staff spent two days on a ‘short inspection’ of Leas Park Junior School and found ‘no change to this school’s overall judgement of good’, following its last full inspection in 2012.

However, in their newly published report, they warned: “The evidence gathered suggests the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full inspection.”

The inspectors found pupils enjoy going to school, enjoy their learning and staff want them to achieve well.

Their report said: “Teachers have established routines, high expectations and good relationships with pupils.

“Pupils say they feel safe in school. They know there is always a member of staff they can speak to if they are worried.”

The school was praised for developing a broad curriculum, that maths is taught well and reading is a priority, while pupils’ good behaviour was also recognised.

The report said: “The school’s values help pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They have a clear understanding of equality. One pupil said ‘I don’t see why we should treat people differently. People who do, don’t see how it impacts on them’.”

Delight

The school’s SEND provision was also hailed.

The report said: “Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength.”

However, the report highlighted several areas for improvement, including ‘school leaders not giving sufficient thought to what knowledge they want pupils to learn and when’, ‘some leaders do not have the necessary knowledge and understanding to develop further their planning of their subject’s curriculum’ and that ‘some parents are not fully aware of how well staff support pupils to learn, to develop positive relationships with each other, to manage their behaviour and to stay safe’.

Helen Atkins, headteacher of the Ley Lane school, said: “We are all delighted with the outcome of our inspection and that Leas Park remains a good school.

“It reflects the hard work of our fantastic school community – children, staff, governors and parents.

“We are proud of the many strengths identified and agree with the areas where we could improve to make Leas Park even better.”