Burton Green Primary School celebrates Ofsted report

Pupils and staff at a York primary school are celebrating the results of a recent Ofsted inspection which deems the school as ‘good’.

Burton Green Primary School in Clifton, which is part of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, has been judged as good at their first inspection since they were last graded in March 2014, when they also received a good rating. 

Inspector Diane Buckle praised the work of headteacher, Mrs Ash Atherton, who has only been at the school since September 2018, stating “Your determination to turn around the fortunes of the school and your enthusiasm and commitment to the pupils and staff of Burton Green shine through everything you do.”

The report also recognises the leadership team’s “determination to provide the very best education” for pupils; their “strong vision for excellence” which continues to transform the school; and the physical transformation of the school which provides a “welcoming and homely place to be” resulting in an “enormous impact on pupils’ well-being”. The inspector also added “Pupils’ sense of pride and belonging is tangible and they are thriving as a result of your leadership.”

The report goes on to commend the “exemplary” levels of pupil behaviour, how the staff team bring learning to life and that classrooms are “a hive of purposeful activity, with pupils highly engaged and keen to contribute”. The inspector reports Burton Green Primary to be “a happy school, where staff morale is high.”

Mrs Atherton said “I am over the moon with the outcome of this latest Ofsted report and couldn’t be prouder of my team and the children.

“The school has been through a difficult few years since the last inspection, with children’s results really suffering in 2015. When the school joined the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust in 2016, collaborative work began on the process of improvement, and in 2018 pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 improved markedly to be above the national average in combined reading, writing and mathematics. Raised expectations for acceptable levels of pupils’ behaviour were also established.

“I love this school and am determined to continue doing everything I can to continue improving the fortunes of the school and our wonderful children.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, Brian Crosby said “We are all delighted for Ash and the team at Burton Green, but we are even more thrilled for the school community, the parents, families, governors and the children themselves. A school’s success is dependent on everyone working together and we are incredibly lucky to have Mrs Atherton and her team at the helm of this magical school, which provides a real oasis for learning for its children.”

“We all know that we still have work to do, but I have no doubt that with this level of determination, commitment and dedication, we will continue on a very successful journey.”

Hope Sentamu Learning Trust’s Primary School Improvement Lead, Shan Brough Jones, added “This is such fantastic news for Burton Green, but to me it is not a surprise! This well-deserved outcome is thanks to the relentless determination of the school’s leadership team, their meticulous attention to detail and their passion for their work. Over the last 18 months, the Trust and the school have worked successfully with the Primary School Improvement Team at City of York Council, establishing strong links with them, so I would like to extend thanks to them too for all their hard work and input.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to work closely with the school, watching it transform before my eyes, and I know the journey from here is going to be an exciting one!”

The report identifies a number of next steps for the school, which include:

• Ensuring pupils, particularly the most able pupils, are challenged to think hard about their learning and access more demanding activities, so that more pupils are able to attain at the higher standard in mathematics.
• Putting greater emphasis upon developing pupils’ mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills so that they become increasingly self-assured to explain their thinking and to have a range of skills that they can deploy when completing extended mathematical problems.
• Continuing their efforts to reduce pupil absence in general and reduce the number of pupils regularly and persistently away from school so that both figures are at least close to the national average.

Burton Green Primary belongs to the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, a successful, growing Church of England multi-academy trust, which was initially founded by Manor CE Academy and Poppleton Ouesbank Primary. It now includes nine schools: Manor CE Academy, Vale of York Academy, Barlby High School, Poppleton Ouesbank, Burton Green Primary, Forest of Galtres Anglican Methodist Primary, Baldersby St James and Scarborough secondary schools, George Pindar and Graham Schools which joined the Trust on 1 March.

7 May 2019