The head of an Exmouth school has thanked parents for their ‘high level’ of support after it retained its Ofsted rating.
Following an inspection, Littleham Primary School has again been rated as a ‘good’ school by government assessors.
In a letter to head teacher Duncan Nelmes, the school was praised for its communication with parents, saying the majority who responded to an online survey said they would recommend the school.
Responding to the report, Mr Nelmes said: “We were pleased with the high level of support we have from parents and carers from the responses.
“As a school, we aim to be approachable and responsive to any issues raised.”
In the Ofsted report, inspector Tracy Hannon called Littleham a ‘growing school’ adding that pupil numbers had doubled since Mr Nelmes joined the school in 2010. She also said the school had responded positively to being asked to improve teaching in maths during the last inspection in 2014.
Mrs Hannon added: “Pupils are now more involved in the subject and teachers make them justify their thinking and reasoning.
“As a result, pupils are deepening their understanding of mathematics.”
The inspector also congratulated the school on being a ‘telling school’ meaning that anyone who knows bullying is happening is expected to tell staff. She said: “Pupils told the inspector that bullying rarely happens and that, when it does, teachers deal with the incidents well.
“You have a great deal of success in helping pupils to manage their behaviour. As a result, in the past, pupils from other schools who struggle to manage their behaviour have joined Littleham.
“Once pupils settle into Littleham, incidents diminish.”
The school was also praised for the ‘determined’ leadership by both Mr Nelmes and head of learning Sarah Padbury, adding: “Staff share your passion to make a difference and share a strong feeling of teamwork.”
The inspector also said some priorities for improvement had been identified and that the next assessment would be a ‘full section five’ inspection.
Mrs Hannon said the next steps for improving the school included ensuring effective teaching of reading. She also recommended the school strengthen support available for disadvantaged pupils.
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