Ofsted praises 'warm and nurturing' Kettering village school where 'pupils are happy', grading it 'good'

Inspectors visited Rushton Primary School, part of the Pathfinder Schools group, and described it as ‘kind and caring’.

They said pupils ‘are happy’ and ‘feel safe’, describing relationships between staff and pupils as ‘warm and nurturing’.

Laura Atkinson, headteacher at Rushton Primary School, said: “I am incredibly proud to be headteacher of Rushton Primary School and I am enormously grateful to our staff for their passion and commitment, our parents for their continued support and, of course, to our pupils, who make every day here special.

"As a community, this is a moment to celebrate and to build upon, as we use Ofsted’s constructive feedback to make Rushton an even better school in the future.”

Finding the school to be ‘ambitious’, inspectors highlighted the ‘positive development of several subject areas’. It recognised that the school ‘wants all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, to achieve their full potential’.

The report praised pupil behaviour and their enthusiastic approach to learning.

Inspectors said further improvements were needed to develop the reading curriculum beyond phonics and said more assessments were needed to check that pupils know and remember more of the intended curriculum.

Kim Duff, deputy chief executive officers at Pathfinder Schools, said: “Congratulations to Laura and her team, who have worked tirelessly to make Rushton such a special place and a school where children thrive. And thank you to our parents and carers, whose support is hugely appreciated.”

Click here for the full report.