South Kilvington C of E Academy is celebrating a landmark Ofsted achievement after becoming one of the first schools in the country to receive the highest “strong” judgement across all seven areas of the new inspection framework.
The primary academy near Thirsk is believed to be the first school in Yorkshire and only the third nationally to achieve the standard in every category under the revised system.
The seven areas assessed included inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, early years provision and leadership and governance.
Headteacher Stephen Butterworth described the result as “an exceptional accomplishment”.
He said: “At the time of inspection, we were the first school in Yorkshire to achieve at least the ‘strong standard’ in all seven areas of the new framework and the third across the whole country.
“The new inspection model is more rigorous than before, with additional areas to review. While the strong standard is now broadly understood to be the equivalent of the previous ‘outstanding’ grade, achieving it across all areas is extremely rare making this achievement even more remarkable.”
Inspectors praised the school’s early years provision, saying children “get off to a flying start” thanks to skilled staff with high expectations.
The report also described pupils as “joyful, eager and polite”, highlighting positive behaviour, strong attendance and a broad curriculum enriched by residentials, theatre visits and woodland learning sessions.
Ofsted inspectors also singled out the academy’s pupil leadership structure, which includes a “Government” featuring elected MPs, a Prime Minister and a House of Lords made up of staff members.
The school has undergone significant changes over the past five years, with Year 6 pupils achieving an average combined reading, writing and maths score of 92 per cent over the last three years — well above national averages.
South Kilvington is part of the Elevate Multi Academy Trust, with leaders saying the academy has become a centre of excellence within the trust.
Mr Butterworth added: “We focus on the development of the whole child and are incredibly proud of what this outcome reflects.
“South Kilvington has been on a transformational journey over recent years and this recognition celebrates the commitment, hard work and dedication shown by our pupils, staff, governors and wider community.”
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