ST JOHN’S C of E Primary School in Wellington has received another ‘Good’ rating from the Government schools inspectorate Ofsted.

Ofsted published its report after an inspection of the school in December last year. Headteacher Olly Priestley said it highlighted the ‘many strengths St John’s demonstrates every day’.

Among other things, the report concluded:

n Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils live up to these expectations.

n Pupils benefit from the school’s strong inclusive ethos. Staff care about pupils’ education and well-being.

n Pupils and staff model the school’s Christian values. Pupils behave well and lessons are free from disruption. Leaders provide a wealth of opportunities for pupils to become caring and responsible citizens.

The Ofsted findings follow a report from the church’s inspection body SIAMS in 2012, which rated the school as ‘Outstanding’.

The latest Ofsted report singled out the teaching of maths for particular praise. The inspector said: “Leaders have established a highly effective mathematics curriculum where the expectations of pupils’ mathematical thinking is high.”

But the report also said there was room for improvement in the children’s reading.

Mr Priestley said: “The school has been developing its curriculum over a number of years and there are some subjects which need more time to embed and see the impact of. When the children came back from lockdown, we made the decision to prioritise their health and well-being, so that they ultimately were in a stronger position to move forward with their education.

“This is a decision which resulted in a delay in our development plans but one which resulted in happier children who once again felt safe. That is a decision we would happily make again – the children’s well-being and needs will always be our priority.”

In a letter to parents, Mr Priestley said: “At the end of a hugely stressful and challenging year for all, I am thankful that despite the immense tiredness seen by all members of the community, our school still demonstrated what makes us so very special and a wonderful place to be.

“I’m delighted the Ofsted inspector recognised that. Our values and spirit make St John’s a school which I am very proud to lead.”