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Ofsted praises Tollgate Primary School in Bury St Edmunds in ‘good’ inspection outcome




A school in Bury St Edmunds has retained its ‘good’ rating by the education watchdog, with inspectors saying ‘pupils are happy, well cared for and learn well’.

Tollgate Primary School, which is part of Unity Schools Partnership, was judged to be ‘good’ overall and in every category following the Ofsted inspection last month.

In praise, inspectors noted the ambitious and wide-ranging curriculum, the opportunities for pupils to broaden their horizons and the skillful support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Tollgate Primary School is celebrating its 'good' Ofsted rating. Headteacher Hannah Brookman with pupils. Picture: Gooderham PR
Tollgate Primary School is celebrating its 'good' Ofsted rating. Headteacher Hannah Brookman with pupils. Picture: Gooderham PR

Adults have high expectations of pupils and older students provide strong role models for younger pupils to look up.

The inspection report added: “Whether singing in the choir or practising their brass instruments, pupils fill the corridors with music.

“Those who perform their musical talents at the cathedral in Bury St Edmunds are proud to do so. Pupils grow their own vegetables and fruit for eating in school dinners.

“Opportunities such as these help pupils make a real difference to their school and local community. Staff guide pupils to become responsible and active citizens of the future.”

Headteacher Hannah Brookman said she was delighted with how the report recognised day-to-day life at Tollgate.

She said: “We were particularly proud of how the report reflected our work around personal development and how we support children and families.

“Ofsted saw our vision embedded throughout the school and also the opportunities we provide both in the classroom and across the wider curriculum.

“We would like to thank all our staff for their continued hard work and also pupils, their families and the wider school community for their support.”

The report also said: “Pupils are happy, well cared for and learn well. From the early years, they start to build firm foundations to set them up for their time in school.”

Other areas mentioned include the focus on making sure pupils learn to read confidently and communicate well and the school’s well-thought-out programme to support pupils’ personal development.

Teachers make careful adaptions to activities which help pupils with SEND succeed in their learning and the school knows the pupils and families extremely well.

Support for staff also came in for praise, with inspectors noting the school does much to look after staff, particularly around managing their workload.

An area Ofsted picked out for the school to improve further was around some teachers needing to develop their subject knowledge to help deepen pupils’ understanding.