Pupils and teachers are celebrating after a Wolverhampton primary school was rated Good by Ofsted.

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Inspectors visited St Jude's Church of England Primary Academy last month and rated provision as being good across the board. School leaders are now setting their sights on becoming "Outstanding" in the future.

The inspection is the first of the Paget Road school since it became an academy in 2014.

In his report, Lead inspector Tim Hill said headteacher Denise Dalton's "drive and determination", together with the "able support of other leaders", had brought about "significant improvements in the quality of teaching and learning" at St Jude's, with the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading and writing now above the national average.

Inspectors found Mrs Dalton to be "resolute in her determination to improve outcomes for all pupils" and noted that staff shared this commitment. They said the school invests well in the professional development of teachers and other staff, and as a result the workforce has the skills and expertise to provide high quality learning experiences and meet the pastoral needs of pupils.

Attendance is improving year on year, and is now above the national average. The pupils themselves are "courteous, polite and respectful", demonstrate a "high degree of respect, care and compassion for one another" and eagerly take on key roles and responsibilities to help with the organisation and running of the school - for instance, influencing school decision making and organising sporting activities at break times.

The inspectors also praised the efforts of the governing body who they say "work effectively with school leaders to help drive ongoing improvement and shape the strategic direction of the school."

Mrs Dalton said: "I am very proud of the school's achievements.

"We have come a tremendously long way from being in special measures to becoming Good, and this is down to the fantastic support of our dedicated, hard-working staff and the support of the local community, our parents and most importantly our children.

"It's a privilege to work with such a great group of people and to be able to lead our wonderful school."

Chair of Governors Madeleine Freewood added: "Ofsted have rightly recognised the drive and determination of our headteacher and senior leaders to deliver sustained school improvement. The inspectors also drew attention to the rich and diverse curriculum at the school and the areas where pupils' attainment is above national expectations.

"I would like to thank all teachers, staff, governors and the Church of England Central Education Trust for their hard work and congratulate them on this well deserved judgement of 'Good'. We will now be looking at the report's findings in detail as we progress towards Outstanding."

Councillor Claire Darke, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, said: "This is a very pleasing report which demonstrates a dramatic improvement at St Jude's and is testament to remarkable leadership from headteacher Mrs Dalton and her team and to the visionary governance of a very strong governing body.

"It has also been made possible thanks to the support of the Church of England Central Education Trust including school improvement adviser Kerin Jones, and help and guidance from Neil Jarman from the council's School Standards team.

"I look forward to following the school's continuing journey towards Outstanding in the coming years."

  • released: Thursday 2 February, 2017