Leavening Community Primary and Nursery School near Malton judged ‘good’ in all areas by Ofsted

Headteacher, Sian Mitchell, said: “I am thrilled that Ofsted has recognised the strengths of our school.

"This report shows the hard work and dedication that the whole school community has invested to make Leavening Community Primary a unique place to learn and work.

“We are especially pleased that our work on the personal development of pupils has been recognised as a strength - it is a vital part of our ethos to ensure that children are prepared for life in modern Britain and have opportunities to learn about and explore first hand, diversity, due to our isolated location.

"We are proud of how we achieve this and the opportunities we provide our pupils.”

The school, which was previously judged ‘requires improvement’ pre-COVID in 2019, has been eagerly anticipating the inspection to quality assure the rapid progress made since the last inspection.

The report praises the school’s “ambitious and engaging curriculum” including the support for pupils with SEND to fully access the curriculum and achieve the same outcomes as their peers, and states that the children enjoy learning.

It also states that the school cultivates “a positive, family environment.”

The early years curriculum was also described as good, with inspectors noting “children in the early years benefit from a curriculum that prepares them for future learning.

"Adults encourage pupils to talk and extend their vocabulary.

“Reading is a priority at Leavening Primary School.

"The school has invested in improving the quality of phonics teaching.

"This is having a positive impact.

"Pupils learn to read fluently and to develop their understanding.”

During their visit, inspectors met with head teacher, subject leaders, staff, pupils and governors.

They also carried out ‘deep dives’ across a range of subjects and evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding.

“Pupils say they enjoy school,” the report adds.

"Many pupils talk about how kind everyone is at Leavening Primary and say everyone is included.

"Many parents echo this view and comment on how well their children ‘thrive’ and ‘flourish’ at this nurturing school.

Leavening Community Primary has 46 students from early years to year six and from April this year, will be extending its provision to include two-year olds in its nursery.